My Fallen Star
by Kitai Matsuru
Summary: 19up!The Backdraft is up to something,so the ZBC decided to inverstigate by sending two agents.One,a girl named Star,is discovered.She cant go back,so the ZBC asks the Blitz team if theyd help,but the BD group isn't gonna let her get away.BL,BrN,LeonOC
1. The Fallen Warrior

Well, I just seem to be bursting with ideas, now don't I?  I love writing and I never seem to stop getting ideas.  I really do hope you guys like this.  Like I said, it will be a Bit/Leena, Brad/Naomi, and a Leon/OC.  I hope you don't mind the pairings.

Disclaimer:  I don't own zoids, only the characters I make up and the fic itself.

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The sun was high in the bright and cloudless, blue sky.  It was a beautiful day in general, but beautiful determines how you look at it.  In the sky flew a red Raynos.  It was traveling quickly through the sky, and not far behind were about 10 black Storm Sworders.  The Raynos was dodging their fire well, but seemed to be struggling now and then.  They were passing over a forest.

"Darn it!  This is just my luck!" said the pilot of the Raynos.  A few more bullets hit her zoid.  She was being jostled around in her cockpit.  She seemed angry and a little scared.  "How'd they find out?" she asked herself.  Just then, all the Storm Sworders launched their missiles at once towards the Raynos and each hit its target.  The Raynos was on fire now and was crashing downward into the forest.  The smoke from the burning Raynos was getting into the cockpit, causing its pilot to choke.  She pulled up on the controls, but she was in a nosedive, heading for the trees.  All she could do was brace herself as she crashed into the forest below.

Not far from the forest, in a small clearing, there was a zoid battle going on.  The Blitz team and the Fluegle team were in the middle of a battle, when the sound of an explosion caught their attention.

"What's going on?" asked Bit Cloud.  They saw something explode in the forest, fire shooting up and smoke drifting into the sky.  Just then, 10 black Storm Sworders flew over the battlefield.

"Unidentified personnel on the battlefield," said the judge.  "This battle has been canceled.  I repeat; this battle has been canceled."  The judge soon lifted off back into the sky, leaving the two teams in a state of both shock and confusion.

"Great!  Just great, the battles been cancelled!" yelled a not so happy Leena Toros.

"I wonder what caused that explosion," said Naomi Fluegle.

"Then let's check it out," said Leon.  The four of them headed towards the rising cloud of smoke that was emerging from the forest.

As they were going to go and find out what was happening, the Raynos had landed in some trees.  The zoid was still on fire.  The cockpit was smashed and glass was everywhere.  The zoid was so badly smashed up you couldn't even tell what it was anymore.  The restraints on the pilot were lifted by what little strength she had left and she fell out of the zoid and onto the ground.  She was coughing from all the smoke she had inhaled and the fall from the cockpit hurt as well.  She could hear something approaching the area, but before she could see who it was, she blacked out from the pain.  Four Zoids approached the area.  The cockpits opened and out jumped the pilots.  They all stood there and looked at the wrecked zoid that was stuck in the trees.  
"What do you think happened here?" asked Leena.

"I don't know," said Bit.  "That zoid looks like it's a Raynos."

"I think you mean was a Raynos," said Naomi.  They soon turned their attention to the area around the wrecked zoid.  Leon was the first to notice the pilot.

"I see someone," he said.  They all turned their attention to where he was looking and saw the unconscious pilot laying on the ground.  They all ran over to her.  She looked the same age as Bit and Leena.  She wore tight, black pants and a long sleeved, low cut, red shirt.  A pair of black boots finished her outfit.  She wore a cap that seemed to hold up her hair, making it appear short, which was a yellowish orange color.  Her eyes were closed and she just lied there, not moving.

"Is she alive?" asked Leena.

"Not sure," said Leon.  Naomi checked for a pulse and was relieved when she found one.  She was even more relieved when she could see that the pilot was breathing as well, but it was sort of irregular.

"She's still alive," said Naomi.  "But she needs medical attention."  By examining the girl a little more, they noticed that she had cuts all over from the broken glass in the cockpit.  She was burned as well and had a huge cut on her forehead.

"We should take her back to the base.  We have a medical facility there," said Leena.

"Sounds good," said Leon.  "We'll go with you."  He picked up the girl gently and they walked back to their zoids, just as the hover cargo was coming towards them.  They loaded their zoids in and quickly headed for the Blitz team's base.  Once there, they quickly hooked the girl to a respirator and Leena and Naomi bandaged her cuts and treated the burns.  They were all standing around now, making sure they hadn't forgotten anything.

"How long do you think she'll be out for?" asked Bit.

"It all depends really," said Doc.  "Her injuries are quite minor if you consider the damage that was done to her zoid.  It's a miracle she survived a crash like that."

"Hey Jamie," said Leon.  "What did you find at the crash site?"

"Nothing much really.  The damage to the zoid was pretty severe.  It was definitely a Raynos though and a highly modified one at that.  I'm thinking of going back tomorrow."

"I wonder if the crash was caused by those Storm Sworders we saw," said Leena.

"It's very possible, but why would they attack her?  I mean, there were ten of them and they were only after one zoid," said Naomi.

"We'll find out when she wakes up," said Doc.  They all began to exit the room, Leon being the last one out, but a crackling and static like sound drew him back into the room.  He looked around, wondering where it was coming from.  His attention was then drawn to a small, hand held radio like device that was hanging on the girl's belt.  He hesitated before picking it up.

"Hello," came a voice on the other end.  It was definitely male.  "Star…hello," he was whispering.  Leon didn't know what to do, so he pushed a button and spoke into it.

"Hello?" he questioned.

"Hey, you're not Star," came the voice.  "Where is she?  Oh, never mind.  Look, the Backdraft knows what's going on.  Tell Star to…" but he didn't finish.  "Darn it, they're coming," and with that, the transmission ended.  Leon turned the radio off and set it on a shelf high up, before walking out of the room and down the hall.

The next day, they decided to do a more thorough examination of the Raynos she had been in when she crashed.  It was still there, since the people who usually cleaned up stuff like this hadn't come yet.  They walked around and soon enough found it, still in the trees.  The fire was out at least and it hadn't spread to the surrounding trees.  Jamie set up the ladder that they had brought with and climbed up.  He checked the cockpit and found but one thing.  It was a locket.  It was lying on the floor of the cockpit.  When he picked it up, he also found a small, red book.  Other than that, there wasn't anything else that was there, and if there had been something, it didn't survive the accident.  He jumped down where the rest of them were standing around waiting.

"So, what'd you find?" asked Bit.  Jamie showed them the locket and the book.

"This is all I could find," said Jamie.  Leon took the locket and examined it.  It was heart shaped and had a star engraved on it.  He opened it up and found only one picture.  In it, a girl with short, yellowish orange hair and sparkling blue eyes was hugging a boy who looked the same age.  He had dark brown hair, but the same sparkling blue eyes.  His hair was in a mushroom cut.  They were smiling.  She had her arms wrapped around his neck as she was hanging from his back as if he was giving her a piggyback ride.  They both looked happy.  The other side was empty.

"That's a really nice looking locket," said Leena.  Leon handed it to Leena, since she wanted to see it and he then took the book from Jamie.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Well, it's a book.  I found it under the seat of the cockpit," said Jamie.  Leon examined it and was about to open it, when Leena snatched it out of his hand.

"And what do you think you're doing?" asked Leena putting emphasis on the "you're".

"What?" asked Leon, not knowing what it was he did.

"This is her personal property and you were just gonna look at it.  It's most likely a diary," said Leena.

"And you shouldn't go peeking into a girl's diary," said Naomi.  The guys all looked at each other, a little confused.  Leena looked at the book and then noticed a piece of paper sticking out of it.

"What's this?" she asked as she pulled out the piece of paper and unfolded it.

"Now who's violating someone's property?" said Brad.

"It's different.  We're girls," said Naomi.  Leena looked at the picture and so did Naomi.

"This must be her family," said Leena.  After looking at the picture, she opened up the small book, realizing it was a photo album, but it also had writing in it, like a journal as well.  Leena slid the picture back in and closed the book.

"We should get back to the base now," said Jamie.  "It's getting late."

"Yeah.  Let's go," said Bit.  They walked back to their zoids and got in.  They headed back to the base.

The last three days went by slowly.  There weren't any battles scheduled for either the Blitz team or the Fluegle team, so they had nothing to do.  The girl they had rescued was still sleeping.  Her wounds healed, or at least most did.  They were just waiting now.  They were all curious as to who she was and what happened to her and the only way to find out was to ask her themselves.

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Okay, what do you think?  Pleaz tell me you like this, cause I'm having fun writing it and I'll only continue if other people are reading it.  Pleaz review!  I'm begging…sort of.  I have to many ideas and I really need to get them out of my head before I go insane!  So that's why I'm writing so many things at once, since this way I won't ever get bored!  I'll always have something to write!  Anyway, I hope you like it.  Byebye!  

Audi^.^  
  
  



	2. Awakening

Okay, I decided to write the next chapter, cause honestly, I'm just itching to write this fic.  I don't know why exactly, but I'm having fun with this one.  Pleaz read it.

Disclaimer:  I don't own zoids.

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Leon was wandering around the crash site of the Raynos again.  He wanted to see if there was anything else there.  He couldn't check the Raynos, since it had been taken care of and removed from the area already.  He wandered around for a while until he found something shiny lying on the ground.  He walked over and bent down to see what it was.  It turned out to be a small, blue stone that was hooked to a short chain.  It looked like a key chain, but it didn't have the key ring.  The stone was a brilliant sky blue color and looked like a crystal.  Leon picked it up and then put it in his pocket.  He then began to head back to the base.

******

Her eyes slowly opened and then blinked a few times.  The ceiling above her was white.  The minute she came to, she attempted to sit up, but a dizzy feeling quickly overtook her and she lied back down on the bed.  She put her hand on her forehead and felt around a little, realizing there was a bandage wrapped around her head.  Her arms also had bandages on them.  She decided to try and sit up again and this time, she succeeded.  Her yellowish, orange hair hung down to her waist and her eyes were a brilliant sparkling blue color.  She looked around the room a little more and found her helmet like cap sitting on a table near her bed.

"Where am I?" she asked out loud.

******

Leon walked into the base and through the hanger to the living area.

"Welcome back son," said Doc.

"Hi dad," said Leon.

"Oh, could you go and check on our guest?"

"Yeah, sure dad."  Leon walked down the hallway towards the medical room.  He eventually arrived there and walked in.  When he did, he noticed her sitting on the bed, just staring at the wall.  He just smiled.

"Good, you're awake," he said.  The girl turned towards him, a little surprised.  Leon just smiled and turned towards the door.  "Hey guys!  Come here!" he yelled.  He faced the girl and walked over to her.  "Hi.  My name's Leon," he said.

"Hello," she said.  She still seemed a little nervous and confused.  Just then, the others all ran into the room.  They all smiled when they saw that the girl was awake.  She turned her attention to them as they walked in.

"It's good to see you're awake," said Doc.  She looked to him.

"Where am I?" she asked.

"You're at the Blitz team's base."  The girl looked away and put her hand on her forehead.

"What…happened?"

"Do you have amnesia?" asked Leena.  The girl quickly looked to them.

"What?  No, I still remember everything, but…how did I…get here…and why am I here?"

"Well, your Raynos crashed," said Bit.  "We think it has something to do with the black Storm Sworders we saw."

"That's right.  I was being chased by them…and then they shot me down.  I thought I was a goner.  How'd I get here though?"

"Well, we were having a battle and we saw an explosion.  The battle ended up being canceled so we decided to check out the explosion.  That's where we found you."

"What about my Raynos?"

"It was totaled.  You could barely tell what it was anymore," said Naomi.

"Thank you for helping me."

"It was no problem at all," said Leena.

"If I may ask, just who are all of you?"

"I'm Doctor Toros, but call me Doc.  And this is my daughter Leena and I believe you've already met my son Leon.  That's Bit, Brad, and Jamie from my team, and this is Naomi Fluegle of the Fluegle team."

"Hi," the girl said.  She just smiled to them.  She swung her legs around so that they were hanging off of the bed.  She then attempted to stand up, but that turned out to be a mistake.  Her knees buckled under her and she fell forward, but was quickly caught by Leon, him being the one who was closer to her at the time.

"You okay?" he asked.  She just blushed slightly.

"I'm fine.  I guess my strength isn't completely back yet."  She sat back down on the bed again, kicking her legs back and forth, hoping that the next time she tried, she wouldn't fall.

"Now then, who might you be?" asked Doc.

"I'm Taki Summers, but just call me Star."

"Do you know why those Storm Sworders were after you?" asked Leon.  She hesitated before shaking her head.

"No, I'm sorry."

"It's fine," said Leena.  "Oh, and before I forget, here."  Leena walked over and handed her the small red book and the locket.  Star looked surprised to see it.

"My…my journal and my locket…thank you," she said.

"Think nothing of it."  She set the journal next to her cap on the nightstand.  She examined the locket and then her eyes went wide.

"Oh no, where is it?" she said, panicked.

"Where is what?" asked Bit.

"It…it was a chain with a small blue stone on it.  It was hooked on the chain with the locket."

"A blue stone?" asked Jamie.

"Yes.  It was a piece of a rare stone called Zoid Magnite.  There isn't much around anymore.  It was a present from my parents."  Leon thought about this and then reached into his pocket and pulled out the small key chain like item he had found earlier.

"Is this it?" he asked her.  She looked to what he had in his hand.

"Yes it is," she said excitedly.  She stood up again without falling and he handed it to her.  She smiled and then gave him a hug.  Leon was a little shocked at this.  "Thank you so much."

"You're…you're welcome," he said, a slight blush was present on his face.  She let go and quickly hooked the key chain back on her necklace.  She turned to look at all of them.

"Thank you, all of you.  You've done so much for me and I don't even know you guys."

"Think nothing of it," said Bit.

"Hey Star," said Leena.  "How about tomorrow we go shopping, you know, and get you some new clothes."

"Sounds good."  Her clothes she had on were ripped in some places.

"And don't worry, you can stay as long as you want," said Doc.

"Thank you."

"Well, how about we have lunch now," said Bit.

"Sounds good to me," said Naomi.

"Then let's go," said Leena.  She turned to Star.  "Come on Star.  You're probably starving, I mean, you've been asleep for three days now."

"Three days?  Was I really asleep that long?"

"Yep.  Come on, let's go eat."

"Alright."  They all walked out the door and into the kitchen to eat lunch.  They all sat down and were soon eating sandwiches.

"So, you guys are the Blitz team.  The team that won the Royal Cup Tournament," said Star.

"Yep, that's us," said Bit as he took a bite of his sandwich.

"Amazing…"

"So, what team are you on?" asked Jamie.

"Hmm?  Oh, I don't have a team."

"So you're a mercenary?" asked Brad.

"No…I'm just a warrior."

"Oh…" said Jamie.  They all ate in silence and afterwards, everyone went to go do their own things.  Night seemed to approach all to quickly.  Leon was wandering the halls, trying to find something to do.  He walked by the room that Star was staying in and found no trace of her, so he kept walking.  He was heading towards the room that had the videophone now.

"I'm sorry, okay?" came Star's voice.  Leon stopped walking and then crept up slowly, stopping at the doorway and making sure he couldn't be seen.  "I didn't mean to blow my cover; it just happened."

"It's fine, don't worry about it.  At least we still have one agent there," said the person on the other end of the line.

"Oh, and I'm gonna need a new zoid too.  My Raynos was totaled."

"We'll prepare one for you, don't worry.  Come back when you're feeling better."

"I will."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I'll be back to work as soon as I can."  And with that, she turned off the videophone and turned towards the doorway.  Leon quickly left before he was noticed.  He went to his own room and closed the door behind him.

"Just who is she anyways?" he asked aloud.  He then lied down on his bed, and, soon enough, he fell asleep.

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That's all for now.  I'm finally back after all that time.  I'm so happy.  Not being able to go on the computer was killing me.  I was so bored, so I started to play video games, but then I needed a walkthrough for this one part and I couldn't use the computer, so I was very very bored.  Oh well, I'm back now.  I'll write more soon, I promise.

Audi^.^ (byebye)


	3. Another Cook

Hallo again^.^  I'm so happy!  I've been watching Initial D with my uncle a lot lately.  He played hooky from work today, so we were watching stuff.  I highly recommend watching it, but I'm sorta disappointed, cause the people who bought the rights to it in America are gonna change the names of the characters.  It makes me sorta sad, cause I like it the way it is.  Anyway, I recommend watching it.  Well, enough with the babble.  Here's the next chapter!

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, but I do own the characters I make and this fic.

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Star stood in complete darkness.  She couldn't see anything; she only heard sounds.  She walked along, not knowing where she was or where she was going.  The sounds of gunfire could be heard in the distance.  She stopped walking, but then heard a painful scream come from the same direction.  She began to run in the direction of which it came from, but the darkness didn't seem to end.

"Someone…help me…" came a voice from the distance.

"I'm coming.  Please, hold on!" yelled Star.  A light could soon be seen in front of her and she kept running.  As she got closer, the light seemed to explode in front of her.  Star stopped and put her arms up to protect her eyes from the light.  When it cleared, a new scene was spread before her.  The room she was in looked like a laboratory and it was on fire.

"Hello!  Is anyone here?" yelled Star.  She walked around the room, trying to find someone.  She then heard a moaning sound coming from a small area nearby.  She walked over, but stopped when she saw a man with a gun standing in the middle of the room.  He was pointing it at someone.  Star walked a little further over and saw what he was pointing his gun at.  Star began to run over to where he was and he faded from view.  Star knelt down near the person who was now lying on the ground, a puddle of blood around them.  It was a woman with long brown hair and deep blue eyes.  She wore a white lab coat.  She was still alive.  Star's eyes were wide with fear and pain.

"M…mother," said Star.  "Mom!  Please, hold on!"  She tried to reach out and touch her, but her hand went right through, like she was a ghost.  Another shot rang out.

"A…Aaron," said the woman with tears in her eyes.  Another body was thrown into the blazing room.  Star turned towards the area he landed in.  He had orange hair, much like her own.  

"Father…" said Star quietly.  Star's eyes began to fill with tears that soon began to cascade down her face.  The scene faded, but Star was still crying.

"Stop it…just stop it," she said to herself.  "No more!"

Star quickly sat up.  She was breathing hard and realized that her eyes were full of tears.  She looked around the room.  It was the guest room that the Blitz team had prepared for her.  She lied back down on the bed and closed her eyes, hoping she could fall back asleep.

******

It was morning now and everyone was slowly crawling out of bed. It was 9:00 am and someone was already up, cooking breakfast.  The first to the table was Bit, and next was Leena.  Doc was in his room playing with his zoid models before breakfast.  Brad came in next and poured himself a cup of coffee.  Naomi came in a little while after and Leon not long after that.  They all sat down at the table, taking their normal seats.

"What's for breakfast Jamie?" asked Bit.  Just then, Jamie walked through the same door they had all come through.  They all looked at him strangely.

"What?" he asked.

"If you're here, then who's cooking?" asked Leena.  Jamie just smiled.

"Oh, Star asked if she could cook today," explained Jamie.

"She volunteered?" asked Bit.

"Well, yeah."

"Is something wrong with that?" asked Star.  They looked to her as she was holding some platters with pancakes, eggs, and bacon on them.  She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt that she had borrowed from Leena, since she didn't have any other clothes other than her torn up outfit.

"No," answered Bit.

"Good.  Will someone set the table?  I would, but I have my hands full."  Nobody seemed to move.  Star just sweatdropped.

"Don't worry Star, they're like this everyday.  Without food, their brains don't work properly," said Jamie.

"Hey!" they all shouted in unison.  Star just sighed.

"I guess I'll do it then," she said.

"I'll help," said Jamie.

"Thanks."  Soon enough, it was set and the food was on the table.  Everyone took some and began to eat.  Doc had come out when he smelt food and sat down to eat as well.

"This is really good," said Doc.

"Yeah, you're a pretty good cook Star," said Leena.

"I agree," said Leon.

"Where'd you learn to cook?" asked Naomi.

"From my mom."

"Well, this is really good."

"Come on you guys, I'm not that good."  A small blush crept upon her face as she just smiled.  They soon finished breakfast and Jamie washed the dishes.  An hour later, Star was wandering around the halls as Leena was approaching her.

"Alright Star, let's go," said Leena.

"Go where?" she asked.

"Did you forget?  I said we'd go shopping today, you know, to go get you some new clothes."

"Oh yeah.  Sorry."

"No big.  We'll be leaving soon, so get ready."

"Okay."  Star ran to her room and grabbed the bag she had had with her.  She checked to make sure her wallet was still in it and luckily it was.  She then walked out and closed the door behind her.

"Where are you going?" asked Bit.  Star looked to her right and saw Bit, Leon, and Brad walking towards her.  She just smiled.

"Leena's taking me shopping," she answered.

"That's right," said Leena.  Her and Naomi walked up behind Star.  Naomi looked to the guys.

"You're welcome to come along if you want," she said.

"Sure," said Leon.

"It's not like we have anything better to do right now," said Brad.

"Good, then let's get going," said Leena.

"Should we ask Jamie if he'd like to come too?" asked Bit.

"He left a little while ago to go and run some errands," answered Leena.  They walked towards the hanger.  "Hey Dad!  We're all going shopping.  We'll be back before 3, okay?" yelled Leena.

"Alright!" Doc yelled back.  They all walked into the hanger and over to the jeep.  Star was too busy looking at the zoids in the hanger.

"Wow…" she said.  "So, these are your guys' zoids."

"Sure are," said Bit.  Star looked from one to the next.  She arrived at the Liger Zero.

"So this is the Liger Zero," she said.  "I've heard a lot about it and I've seen pictures, but it's different up close.  What an amazing zoid."  She was basically talking to herself.  She then noticed the others were all standing near the jeep.  She ran over to see what they were talking about.

"Okay, so how are we going to do this?" asked Naomi.  "The jeep only fits 4 people comfortably."

"I know," said Leena.

"Why don't we just take our zoids?" suggested Brad.

"Sounds good to me," said Bit.

"But what about Star?" asked Naomi.  They all thought for a while, except for Star, who just stood there, wondering what they would do about her.

"Do any of our zoids have two seats in the cockpit?" asked Leena.  They all thought for a while.

"I think mine might, no, wait…yeah it does," said Leon.  They all looked relieved.

"You sure it's alright?" asked Star.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"Well, now that that's settled, let's get going," said Leena cheerfully.  They all walked to their zoids and got in.  Soon enough, they were off.  All the zoids trudged through the desert quickly, making good time.

"I can't wait!  This'll be so fun!" exclaimed Leena.

"Isn't this a shopping trip for Star?" asked Bit.

"So?  It doesn't mean that I can't buy something too!"

"You're just like Doc.  Such a shop-a-holic."

"What's that suppose to mean?!"

"Exactly what it sounds like."  Leon just laughed to himself as he listened to Bit and Leena argue.  He soon turned off the com-link.

"Are they always like that?" asked Star.

"Yeah," said Leon.

"Does Leena fight with you too?"

"Why?"

"Well, siblings usually argue, don't they?"

"Some do, I guess, but Leena and I get along pretty well most of the time."

"Same here.  Me and my brother usually get along pretty well."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah.  His name is Josh.  He's only a few years older than me.  I have a picture of him right here in my locket."

"Oh, so that's your brother in that picture."

"Yeah.  Why?  Who'd you guys think it was?"

"Your boyfriend, I guess."

"Nope.  I don't have a boyfriend, not yet anyway."

"Why not?"

"I don't know.  I've never really considered it before, I guess."  They stopped talking for a while.  Star thought back to her dream and closed her eyes.  She hadn't gotten much sleep last night and this ride was making her a little tired.  She soon fell asleep.  Leon was curious as to who she had been talking to on the videophone yesterday.  His curiosity finally got the best of him.

"Hey, Star?" he asked, but he got no response from her.  "Star?"  He turned around to look at her and found that she was sound asleep.  He just smiled and turned back around, keeping his eyes on the road and the approaching site of the city in the distance.

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Yay!  Another chapter written.  I proofread this, so there shouldn't be any spelling mistakes or grammar ones.  And if you're gonna tell me that the blade liger doesn't have a second seat in the cockpit, I could care less.  This is my story and this is how it's gonna be, so pleaz don't complain or bug me about meaningless stuff like that.  And no flames pleaz.  Anyway, I hope you like this.  I'm gonna stop it here but the next chapter will be up soon.

Audi^.^


	4. A Trip to the City

I'm definitely going on an updating spree.  Please read this.  I put a lot of thought into this fic and I'm hoping it does well.  I've been busy lately, otherwise I would have done this sooner.

And another thing.  I changed the rating of this fic to PG-13 for a reason and I wanna know if you guys think I made the right choice.  Remember, I don't curse in my fics.  Please tell me if I should keep it at PG-13 or change it back to PG, okay?

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids.

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They arrived at the city and tried to find a shop to leave their zoids at while they were there.  Luckily, there was one close by the entrance.  They all began to get out of their zoids.  Leon opened the cockpit and then turned to Star, who was still sleeping.  

"We're here," he said.  "Wake up."  When she didn't wake up, he began to shake her lightly.

"Wake up, we're here."  Star's eyes slowly opened and she stretched her arms while yawning.

"Already?" she asked.

"Yeah, come on."  He turned and was about to jump down.

"Hey Leon?"  He turned to look at her.  "What about you?  Do you have a girlfriend?"  He just smiled.

"Nope. I never thought much about it.  Guess I'm like you."

"Yeah."  They both jumped down from the cockpit and joined the rest of the Blitz team.  Together, they walked through the city.  They stopped in front of a restaurant.

"Alright," said Leena.  "How about we meet back here in an hour or so and then grab some lunch?"

"Sounds good to me," said Bit.

"Alright then.  Well, we'll see you guys later!" said Leena as she walked off with Naomi and Star.  She was waving.

"Bye!" shouted Bit and Leon as they waved as well.  The two groups walked off to go do their own things.

"So, where are we going first?" asked Star.

"We'll go to a clothing store, of course," responded Leena.

"I think there's one not far from here," said Naomi.

"Then let's go."  They walked a little further and came to the shop.  They went in and began to look around.

"Okay Star, now let's find something for you.  What's your favorite color?" asked Leena.

"Red," answered Star.

"Alright then, let's find something for you."  They all looked around, but it was Naomi that found something.

"What about this?" she asked.  Star and Leena walked over.  Naomi had found a red, sort of low cut, long-sleeved shirt.  Leena looked around a little more and found a pair of blue jean shorts that were also a skirt.  Naomi and Leena gave the outfit to Star and then shoved her into a changing room.  They waited for a while for her to change.  She soon walked out of the changing room and spun around once.  It fit comfortably.  The red shirt was tight fitting and left the middle part of her stomach open.  (A/N you know what I mean.  It leaves the area, where the belly button is, open.)

"It looks great," said Naomi.

"I agree," said Leena.  "Now you need some shoes."

"Okay," said Star.  She followed them to the shoe section of the shop.  They walked around and then found some black boots that laced up.  They didn't have a heel though.

"Try these," said Leena.

"Okay."  Star put on the boots.  They were a perfect fit.

"There.  Now your outfit is perfect."

"Do you think they'd let me wear it out?" asked Star.

"As long as you pay for it," answered Naomi.  They walked to the front desk and purchased the items.  Star carried her other outfit in a bag.

"Where to next?" she asked.

"How about over there?  They have all kinds of stores down in that area," said Leena as she pointed to where she meant.

"That's sort of far off from here," said Naomi.

"It's fine.  We can take this shortcut."  Leena pointed to an alley that was in between two very tall buildings.

"Alright."  They turned the corner and began to walk down the alley.  They had just turned another corner and then stopped when they saw what was ahead of them.  A group of 5 men stood there, all of them dressed in black leather jackets and black pants.  Some wore sunglasses, some didn't, others wore bandanas and others didn't.  Whoever they were, they looked like a gang.

"Well, looks like we got visitors," said the one who looked like their leader.  He wore a bandanna, but no sunglasses.  Leena, Naomi and Star turned around and were going to run, but 5 more men were blocking their exit.  They were trapped.

"What should we do?" asked Star.

"Well, we don't have much of a choice," said Naomi.  They stood in a group, back to back.  They were whispering to each other.

"I say we take them out," said Leena with a smirk.

"You got it."

"Let's do it," said Star.  They all nodded and then began to attack.  Naomi punched one in the face and Leena kicked one in the gut.  Star was fighting as well, but she was also watching Naomi and Leena.  'They're pretty good at this,' she thought to herself as she punched one guy and back kicked another.  They were doing fine on their own.  Leena and Naomi took out the same guy, both punching him in the face.

"Alright, we're winning!" cheered Leena.

"You got that right," agreed Naomi.  Just then both of them felt something hard hit them in the back of the head.  Star spun around and looked to them.

"Leena!  Naomi!"  She was going to run to her friends, but she was grabbed from behind.  The man had hooked her arms with his and placed his hands against the back of her head, guaranteeing that she wouldn't be able to get free.  Leena and Naoim had been put in the same situation and both of them had come to now.  Leena and Naomi were facing the same direction and Star was facing them.

"What do you want with us?" asked Leena.

"Just to have a little fun," answered the boss.  He gave a grin that sent shivers up their spines.  Star quickly moved her foot back and stepped on the foot of the guy who was holding onto her.  He loosened his grip and she got away.  She tried to punch the boss, but two more men quickly grabbed her from behind and made sure that she wouldn't be able to pull the same trick twice.  They each grabbed onto one of her arms and pulled her away from their boss.  He smirked.  He then turned around towards Naomi and Leena.

"All of you are all so pretty," he said.  "I don't know where to begin."  They all looked disgusted.  'I have to do something,' thought Star.

"Ain!  Leave them alone!" she yelled.  For some reason he stopped advancing towards them and looked to her.

"Leave them alone, huh?  Then maybe I should start with you, Taki," said Ain.  Star seemed afraid now.

"You know him?" asked Leena.  Ain smirked and turned back towards Leena and Naomi.  He punched both of them in the gut at the same time.  Their expressions were of pain.

"Please, don't!" shouted Star.  He punched them again.  "Stop it!"  And again.  "Leave them alone!"  Star now had tears in her eyes.  She was afraid now and a little angry.  She closed her eyes tightly.  'Someone help us,' she thought to herself.

******

The guys were walking around, going nowhere in particular.

"I wonder what the girls are doing right now," said Bit as he walked with his arms behind his head.

"I'll give you one guess," said Brad.

"Where should we go?" asked Leon.

"I don't know.  It's not like we have that much money," said Bit.  "And we can't get anything to eat cause we promised the girls to meet them for lunch."

"Maybe we should just go find them," said Brad.

"That'd be sort of hard."

"At least it'd be something to do," responded Brad.  Leon just laughed a little as they kept walking.  He didn't really care what they did.  They walked along a little more, until for some reason, Leon stopped.  Brad and Bit nearly ran into him, since he was walking ahead of them.

"What's wrong?  Why'd you stop?" asked Bit.

"I don't know.  I just had this really weird feeling," responded Leon.

"A strange feeling?" asked Brad, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," answered Leon.  He didn't know what it was, but something wasn't right.  'Someone help us,' a voice echoed through his mind.  He didn't know what it was.  In his mind, a picture of the clothing store flashed in his head.  He wasn't sure what it meant, but he began to run in that direction.  Of course, Bit and Brad followed.

"What's going on?" asked Bit.

"I don't know.  I just have this feeling that something bad is happening and I think it involves the girls."  This interested Bit and Brad, so they just followed Leon as they ran through the city.

******

Ain had stopped punching Naomi and Leena after about 5 times.  He then turned to Star.  He grinned menacingly, which sent chills down her spine.

"You've always been a pretty one, Taki."  He had a sick tone to his voice as he began to approach her.  She tried to pull away and even pull back.  He was now right in front of her.  She had to look up at him, since he was a little taller than she was.  She had first thought that he would beat her up, since that's what he did to Naomi and Leena, but the look in his eyes suggested something different.  He reached out towards her and placed his hands on the bare section of her stomach.  She winced at his touch.

"Leave her alone!" yelled Leena.

"Stop it!" yelled Naomi.  Star closed her eyes as she felt him rubbing his hands up and down.  She was shaking slightly from fear.  His hands began to move upwards.  'Please help me,' she thought to herself.  Just then, she felt something push her forwards, causing Ain to jump back.  Star then noticed that no one was holding her in place anymore.  She turned around to see what happened and found Leon standing behind her.

"Leon?" she asked.

"Yep," he answered.  Just then, the people who were holding onto Leena and Naomi fell back as well, releasing them.  Behind them stood Bit and Brad.

"You guys came to help us," said Leena in more of a statement than a question.

"Of course," said Bit.

"Do you think we'd just leave you?" asked Brad.

"Thanks for the help," said Star.

"Yeah, you guys really came through," said Naomi.

"Darn it!" said Ain angrily.  He whistled and about 10 more men came out from the nearby buildings.

"Looks like we're not through yet," said Leon.

"I say we take these guys," said Leena.

"I second that," said Bit.  They all began to fight off the men who were rushing at them.  The ones who had been knocked out the first time had gotten back up, adding to the already attacking group.  Each of them were doing a good job, knocking out a lot of the men.  'All of them are really good at this,' thought Star.  Ain seemed to have disappeared, leaving the fight to his men.  They eventually had knocked them all out.

"That was easy," said Leena.

"I agree," said Bit.

"Where'd, uh, what was his name again?" asked Naomi.

"It's Ain," responded Star.  "Let's just go.  He probably left already."  They were all facing Star, who was standing near a door on the side of the building.  The door quickly opened and Ain came behind Star.

"Look out!" yelled Naomi.  Star didn't have time to react.  She felt something hit her against the back of her head.  It made a cracking sound and she fell to the ground.

"You jerk!" yelled Leena.  She sent a kick right to his face, causing him to fall backwards, completely knocked out.  They all ran to Star.

"Hey Star, wake up," said Naomi.  She touched the back of her head where she'd been hit and noticed that she was bleeding.

"That had to hurt," said Bit.  Leena walked over to one of the guys and removed a bandanna.  She quickly tied it around Star's forehead.

"You think she'll be okay?" asked Leena.

"Yeah.  It was just a hit to the head.  She'll wake up in a while, but we shouldn't stay here," said Naomi.

"We can walk around the city until she wakes up," suggested Leon.

"Sounds good to me," said Bit.

"Alright then, let's go," said Leena.  Leon picked Star up and they all left the alley.

******

They walked around for a while.  They had to make sure that they were all far away from the alley.

"Maybe we should just head back to our zoids," suggested Bit.

"Alright.  I'm not that hungry anyway," said Leena.

"Me either," said Brad.

"Then lets go," said Naomi.  They all began to walk back to the shop where they had left their zoids.  Star began to stir and soon she opened her eyes.  Her vision was blurry at first but she soon focused.  She looked up and saw that Leon was carrying her.  He felt her shift in his arms and looked down to her.  He stopped walking and so did everyone else.

"Feeling better?" he asked.  He let his arm that was under her legs drop so that she could stand.  She looked around a little.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Ain knocked you out, but we took care of him," said Leena.

"Oh…"

"So, Star?  Who were those people?" asked Naomi.

"They were the pilots of those black Storm Sworders that you guys saw when you found me.  I'm not sure who some of the others were."

"Well, it doesn't matter now.  We took care of them," boasted Leena.

"You guys are all really good at fighting.  I was kind of surprised."

"You're good too Star.  Who taught you?" asked Bit.

"My dad.  He was good at martial arts, so he taught me some stuff, but not much."

"Interesting."

"Well, we should get going now.  We'll eat once we're back at the Hover Cargo," said Leena.

"Okay."  They all walked back towards the shop where they left their zoids.  When they arrived there, something strange happened.  Stray fire came their way, but luckily, they were all able to get out of the way.

"What's going on?" asked Leena.  They were all wondering the same thing.  They saw some stray zoids approaching quickly.  Most of them were Rev Raptors and Helcats, but the one leading them was a Genosaurer.

"No way," said Bit.  "It's a Genosaurer.  Are they with the Backdraft?"

"Probably," said Naomi.

"It looks like we have a fight on our hands," said Brad.  They all ran to their zoids and climbed in.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Star.

"It's too dangerous.  You wait here," said Leon.  "We'll take care of them."

"O…kay," said Star hesitantly.  She ran over to an area near the shop and watched as the two teams went out to meet their enemy.

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Well, that's a rap.  I still want an answer from you about the PG vs. PG-13 thing.  So please tell me.  I hope you guys like this.  I'm having fun right now.  Pleaz read and review, but don't flame pleaz.  Well, I hope you like this.  I gotta go now.

Audi^.^


	5. Revealing Battle

Well, I'm back and ready to write…I think.  Well, I hope you like this, cause I'm putting thought into it, and I don't do that often.  I really am having fun writing this and I'd really appreciate it if you reviewed, cause I won't know if people like this if they don't tell me.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, just the characters I make.

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Star watched them begin to attack the Backdraft zoids.  She couldn't help but worry.  Meanwhile, on the battlefield, they ignored the Genosaurer for now and went after the smaller zoids.

"This should be easy," said Bit.  "All we do is take out these zoids and then go after the Genosaurer."

"Yeah, I agree," said Leena.  "This should be a piece of cake."

"I wouldn't be so cocky you two," said Naomi.  They were fighting in close range, which wasn't her strong point.   "Don't forget that this is the Backdraft we're dealing with."

"Yeah, but we've beaten them before, so we can easily do it again," retaliated Bit.

"Let's just battle instead of arguing," said Brad.

"I second that," said Leon.  They were doing a pretty good job of avoiding the Genosaurer while they worked on destroying the back up that it had brought with.  Even though there were about 50 enemy zoids and only five of them, they were dominating easily.  They had nearly finished off all of the Hellcats and were now working on the Rev Raptors.  Meanwhile, Star stood on the sidelines and watched the battle.

"Did the Backdraft come here for me?" she asked herself.  "How'd they know I was here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"  Star spun around and saw Ain standing a few feet away.  She glared at him.

"You called them, didn't you," she said in more of a statement than a question.

"What if I did?"

"Why?"

"Come on Taki.  You should know that."  He took a few steps towards her, but she got into a fighting stance, so he stopped.  "Easy, I'm not gonna hurt you.  Besides…they want you alive."

"Then why'd you shoot me down?"

"I admit, at that time, they didn't care if you were dead or alive.  We always get back at our traitors.  You'll regret it soon enough."  Star turned her back to him and faced the battle.

"So they're here…for me?"

"Bingo.  And now your new friends are gonna risk their lives for something they don't even understand.  If you come quietly, we'll spare them."

"They wont loose."

"Are you sure?  Sure enough to risk their lives?"  She nodded and it was quiet.  Both of them stood and watched the battle.

On the battlefield, they had finished off the back up forces and were now staring down the Genosaurer.  A com-link popped up on their screens, but the person inside was shadowed.

"Why do you insist on fighting us?" he asked.

"What do you think?  You're the Backdraft group.  You were probably going to come and attack us when our backs were turned," retorted Bit.

"You don't even know why we're here."

"Who cares," said Leena.

"I'm afraid that if you're going to interfere, I'll have to destroy you."  With that the com-link disappeared and the Genosaurer charged towards them.

Meanwhile…

"It looks like your friends are in trouble," said Ain.

"Shut up.  They won't loose," retorted Star.

"You don't know that."

"Well neither do you."  It was quiet again.

"This battle could be over instantly," said Ain.  Star looked to him.

"What do you mean?"

"If you wanted it to, that is."

"What?"

"Come on Taki.  Show me your power.  I know what you can do, now do it."  Star turned away from him.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't be dumb.  I know you know what I'm talking about.  Don't you care about them?"

"I do, but…"

"Then why don't you end this?"

"…"  Star didn't respond.  Instead she just looked towards the battlefield.  On the battlefield, the Genosaurer had the upper hand.  It was using everything it had and Naomi and Leena were already out of the battle.  The Genosaurer shot at the Shadow Fox, but missed.  It used its 120mm cannons and watched as the shadow fox got closer to him.  He aimed and fired, anticipating Brad's moves.

"Well that was easy," said the pilot.  He had short, dark blue hair and green eyes.  He wore all black.  He looked to the two remaining zoids.  The Liger Zero and the red Blade Liger.

"Hey Bit, let's take him together," said Leon.

"I'm with ya there," responded Bit.  They both split up as some bullets came their way.  Leon went to one side and bit went to the other.  They both began to shoot at it, but it dodged easily.  It then jumped up into the air.  The two zoids came to a screeching halt, stopping just before they would have collided.

"That was close," said Bit as he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'll say."  Just then, the Genosaurer came down from the air and landed on both their zoids.  It jumped off of them and began firing at them.  Once the shelling cleared, both zoids had been taken out.  Now the "system freeze" message was being displayed on all of their screens.

"This can't be good," said Leena.  The man in the Genosaurer laughed to himself.

"You fools.  If you'd only stayed out of this, you'd all be fine right now.  But I'm afraid that I can't let you guys walk out of here alive."  The clamps on the Genosaurer went down and the cannon extended from its mouth.  The familiar glow from the charged particle beam could now be seen.  "Let's start with the two of you."  He aimed his cannon at Leon and Bit.  On the sidelines, Ain was laughing.

"There's no way out of this.  They're gonna die and it's all your fault.  Whadya say to that Taki?"  Star didn't respond; she just stared forward at the scene ahead of her.  There wasn't much time left before it would fire.  'What do I do?' she thought to herself.  She closed her eyes and lowered her head.  Ain stopped laughing and looked to her to see what she was doing.  'Please get up,' she thought.  'All of you.  I know you can do it, now get up.'  She opened her eyes and looked forward.

"Please," she whispered.  "Get up!"

Suddenly, the Liger Zero was back on its feet.

"The system unfroze?" asked Bit in shock.

"Same with mine," said Leon.  They quickly remembered the cannon and jumped out of the way, just as it fired.

"Now's our chance," said Bit.  He quickly got to the side of the Genosaurer and used Strike Laser Claw, taking off its arm.  Leon then followed it up with an attack of his own, the blades on his liger ripping through the Genosaurer.

"But…how?" asked its pilot as the Genosaurer fell to the ground, the system frozen.  He looked towards the shop and looked through the binoculars that hung around his neck.  He saw Star standing there, a serious and deep look on her face.  "So that's why they want her.  This is only a small portion of her power, according to what I've heard.  But how?"  The two teams' zoids were all in working order again, all their systems unfrozen.  They were making their way back to the shop.

"So, this is your power," said Ain.

"Just leave me alone," said Star.

"Exactly what did you do?  You got in their minds, didn't you?"

"Leave before I turn you in."

"Fine, I'm leaving, but you know you're not going to be safe.  This isn't over Taki, not by a long shot."  He turned and walked away from her, heading back into the city.  Star sighed and then sat down, waiting for her friends to come back.  'I should leave as soon as possible.  I don't want to endanger them anymore than I already have,' she thought.  Once they were close enough, the cockpits opened and they all jumped out.  Star stood up and smiled.

"That was an amazing battle," she said.  They all seemed confused.  "What is it?"

"Nothing.  It's just that…our systems were frozen, and then they suddenly unfroze.  That's never happened before," said Bit.

"What do you think happened?" she asked.

"I don't know.  Thinking hurts to much."

"It was really strange," said Leena.  "But at least we won."

"I think we should get back to the base now," said Leon.

"I second that," said Naomi.  They all got in the zoids and began to head back to the Blitz team's base.

"Hey Leon?" asked Star.

"What?"

"I'd like to say thank you."

"For what?"

"For coming to save us.  I should have been more careful, but I got distracted."

"Well, you're welcome, but you shouldn't blame yourself.  It's not your fault."

"But I feel like it is.  I put you guys in danger.  I'm sorry.  If it wasn't for me, we wouldn't have gone to that city in the first place."

"You shouldn't blame yourself like that.  It can't be helped that this happened."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it."

"You know.  You're so nice.  It's hard to believe you don't have a girlfriend."

"Well it's hard to believe that you don't have a boyfriend."

"Why is it hard to believe?"

"Because you're pretty nice too."  'You meant to say beautiful,' said his mind.  'Where'd that come from?'  He shook his head and concentrated on the road ahead of him.

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Another chapter completed.  I'm very happy with the way it turned out.  Please read and review.  If you don't review, I won't know if this is good or not, and I'd still like your opinion on the PG vs. PG-13 thing.  Well, I hope you enjoyed this and pleaz review.  But don't flame.  Tips to improve my writing is okay, cause I'm always looking to improve.  So pleaz, review!

Audi^.^


	6. Painfull Goodbyes

Well, I decided to write the next chapter.  Pleaz review!

Disclaimer:  Go to the last chapter.  You'll find it there.

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It was lunchtime now and the two teams had finally made it back to the base.  They all jumped out of the zoids and walked into the living quarters of the base.

"Welcome back team," greeted Doc.  Jamie was there as well.

"How'd it go?" asked Jamie.

"Fine," they all said, not wanting to talk about what really happened.

"So, what did you have for lunch?" asked Doc.

"Um…we actually haven't eaten yet," said Leena.

"Why not?"

"We got…distracted," said Bit.

"Not to mention there weren't any good restaurants," said Leon.

"Yeah," they all said.

"Well then you're all probably starving.  Have a good lunch."  With that, Doc ran off to his room to play with his zoid models.  Everyone else, including Jamie, walked into the kitchen to find some food.

"So what really happened?" asked Jamie.

"What do you mean?" asked Leena, a little nervous.

"I know you made that up.  I wanna know what really happened."

"You really wanna know?" asked Naomi.

"Yes."

"You sure?" asked Bit.

"Yes!  Just tell me already!"

"Fine, we were attacked, okay?" said Leena.

"Attacked?"

"Yep," responded Brad.

"By who?"  At this, they turned to Star.

"His name was Ain.  He and his gang attacked us.  They were the pilots of the black Storm Sworders that shot down my Raynos," she answered.

"Why did they attack you guys?"

"Don't know."

"Oh."

"Well, if we're done talking now, I'm hungry," said Bit.  They all began to dig through the kitchen, finding whatever interested them.

******

It had gotten late.  The day went by quickly and it was already 10 pm.  Dinner was good and afterwards, they played a few games.  They were now all sitting in the living room (A/N the room with the TV).  Star walked into the room and sat down next to Leena.

"Hey, you guys?" she asked.  "I have something to tell you."

"What is it?" asked Naomi.

"I'm leaving tomorrow.  My ride should be there around 10 tomorrow morning."

"So soon?" asked Leena.

"Yeah.  Sorry."

"It's okay," said Bit.

"Yeah, it's been fun having you here," said Leon.

"You guys really mean that?"

"Of course," they all said.  Not long after, they all went to bed and easily fell asleep.

******

"Thanks for everything you guys," said Star.  It was a nice, sunny day and the breeze slightly blew, kicking up dust from the sands of the desert.  They all stood outside.  Star was facing them as they all stood near the base.  Star had her hair up in a ponytail and a pair of sunglasses that had lavender, see through lenses.  She also wore a jean jacket over her new outfit.  They had given her a small backpack that she was carrying some items in.  "You guys have done so much for me."

"It was no problem at all," said Doc.

"Yeah," said Leena.  "Come back whenever you want."

"Yeah, you'll always be welcomed," said Bit.

"Thanks."  Just then, the wind seemed to pick up around them and a whale king landed a distance behind Star.  She just smiled.

"I guess that's my ride."  She didn't even turn around.  Some men walked out of the whale king, wearing black uniforms and sunglasses.  Star turned around to see them and instantly changed her mood.  She backed up a little and seemed shocked and angry.

"Is this the base of the Blitz team?" asked the man who seemed to be leading them.  There were about 6 of them, 7 including him.  Star didn't say anything, just glared at him.

"Yes, it is," answered Leena, a little confused.  The man looked at Star, who glared back.  She then looked to the side and tried to run, but didn't get far before the man grabbed her by the wrist and lifted her off the ground.  She wasn't happy at all.

"What's going on?" asked Bit.  All of them changed their moods as well; each seemed a little angry and confused.  The man looked to all of them, still holding Star.

"I work for the ZBC.  This girl here is a spy for the Backdraft."  Star's eyes went wide at this, along with everyone else's.

"What?" they all asked, surprise in their voices, but they didn't shout it.

"No, he's wrong," said Star.  She seemed worried and panicked.  "He works for the Backdraft."  The man reached into his pocket and grabbed a badge, which was clearly from the ZBC.

"Don't believe the words of this spy," he said.

"He's wrong, please believe me," pleaded Star.  They did nothing, not knowing what to do or who to believe.  Star swung her body back and then came forward, kicking her leg out and up to the side of the man's head, kneeing him in the face.  She made contact and he dropped her.  She quickly got up and began to run, but was shoved down to the ground by one of the other men.  The two teams were all tense now, ready to fight.  Star jumped back up and punched one of the men in the face, but was then attacked by another, shoving her back to the ground, but this time more forcefully.  She seemed to be struggling to get back up.  The leader of them walked over to her and took something from his pocket.  A gun, to be exact.  Star's eyes were wide, because she knew what came next.

"Say goodbye, you traitor," he said.  Star was too scared to move now, but before the gun went off, the man groaned and then fell to the ground.  Star's eyes followed him down, and then she looked back up.  Leon was standing near her, the Blitz team and Naomi not far away.  They were breaking up and attacking the other men, who were easily a foot taller than they were and more bulk.

"Thanks," said Star.

"No problem," said Leon, still standing near her.  The man began to move and pushed himself up, ready to fight with Leon.  "Get out of here."

"Are you sure?" asked Star.

"Yeah.  We'll be fine."  He then blocked a punch aimed at his face.  "Go now."

"Thank you."  Star got to her feet and made a run for it.  She glanced back and noticed that her friends were loosing the battle.  She wasn't even that far away.  She then heard a groan of pain and stopped running, looking back at her friends.  They were all in a group.  They seemed hurt.  Leon was in front of them, sitting on the ground, Bit and Leena on his sides.  The men didn't seem hurt at all.

"How dare you interfere?" asked the leader angrily.  'Oh no,' thought Star.  She began to run back towards them.  The man pulled his gun out and they all got back on their feet.  He aimed his gun at Leon.

"Let's start with you, since you started this mess."  The man grinned evilly and began to pull the trigger.  Before any of them knew what was happening, Star ran in front of them just as the gun went off.  The bullet hit her in the stomach, but she didn't stagger or flinch at all from the hit.

"Star?" questioned Leena.  Star then fell to her knees, breathing hard.

"I am Special Forces agent Taki 'Star' Summers of the Zoid Battle Commission.  I'm not a spy, please believe me," she said, and with that, she collapsed onto the desert floor.  They all knelt near her.

"Star," said Leena, trying to wake her up.  Just then, the wind picked up again and another whale king landed.  The Backdraft men seemed worried.

"We'll finish this later," said the leader as they retreated into their Whale King and took off.  The two teams watched as they lifted off.  Just then, some more people approached them. They were wearing uniforms that were white and other different colors.  One of them ran closer and got a good look at all of them.

"That's Star," he said, a little shocked.  They looked to him at the mention of Star's name.  The man looked to Leon, who was the nearest to Star's limp body.  "You there," he said, catching Leon's attention.  "Pick her up and all of you follow me.  There's still time for her."  Leon nodded and carefully turned her over and picked her up.  They all followed the man as they ran back to the whale king, which lifted off into the sky.

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That was fun.  Pleaz review, cause I gotta know if you like this.  Pleaz, but no flames.

PLEAZ!!!

Audi^.^


	7. Mysteries Revealed

Hi!  It's been a while.  Sorry for those of you who were reading this.  I didn't mean to take so long.  I just got caught up in so many other things.

Disclaimer:  See first chapter.

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The Blitz team and the Fluegle team stood in a huge hallway like area.  The ceiling was really high up, and the floor was covered in red carpet.  Only one of the longer walls was normal.  The other was glass, leading to a huge medical room.  Star was lying on the bed in the room, nurses and doctors running around, checking the monitors.  Other than the two teams, there was someone else standing in the hall near them.  A very distinguished looking man with a white military coat stood a few feet from them.  Another man approached him.

"Sir.  We made the call.  He should be here any minute now."

"Good.  Thank you."  The man walked off and the older, more distinguished man approached the two teams.

"Hello.  My name is John.  I'm the leader of this facility and second in charge of the ZBC.  I would like to say thank you."

"For what?" asked Bit.

"For looking after Star.  I would also like to apologize to you.  Because of Star, all of you were put in danger."

"It's no problem, really," said Leena.  "Is she going to be alright?"

"She should be.  We don't know when she'll wake up though."

"Exactly what is going on here?" asked Brad.  "Those were members of the Backdraft, weren't they?"

"Yes, they were."

"What did they want with Star?" asked Bit.

"I guess you have a right to know.  Star, along with her brother Josh, are elite members of our Special Forces division.  We've trained them to be the best agents they could and they have easily surpassed all the others.  About three months ago, we sent them to go and monitor the Backdraft group.  Everything was going perfectly, but a few days ago, Star's cover was blown.  She was chased by the Backdraft and then shot down by a group of Storm Sworders.  That's when you found her."

"So Star really is an agent for the ZBC.  I wish we would have believed her sooner," said Jamie.

"I don't want any of you blaming yourselves for what happened.  This couldn't have been prevented."

"If they want Star, then why did they try to kill her?" asked Naomi.

"Because there are some members that want her alive and others who don't care either way.  All they want is revenge."

"So that's what the Backdraft group meant when we were fighting them.  They had said something about us not knowing what we were fighting them for.  They said we wouldn't understand," said Bit.

"I also must thank you for that as well.  They were indeed after Star and you all fought them without even knowing that.  I thank you."

"So Ain is a member of the Backdraft too?"

"Yes, Ain.  He is indeed a member of the Backdraft.  He is also a member of a gang know as the Desert Riders.  They were the ones who shot down Star before.  They attacked you to get her back."

"It didn't seem like that's what he was interested in," said Leena.  

"Ain is, for lack of a better term, a very sick man.  I heard all about him from Star during her stay at the Backdraft base."

"Um, sorry to change the subject, but you mentioned that Star and her brother have been training here.  What about their parents?" asked Leon.

"Aw, yes.  Their parents were well-respected scientists for the ZBC.  They were also agents, just like Star and Josh.  About 9 years ago, there was a lab explosion, caused by the Backdraft.  Their parents were killed in it.  Since then, we've been taking care of them.  They've grown on all of us and I speak for everyone here when I say that we couldn't stand it if something were to happen to them."

"Poor Star, losing her parents like that," said Bit.

"Yeah," added Leena.  Just then, the double doors at the end of the hallway opened up and in ran a boy, dressed in a brown trench coat and blue jeans.   His shirt was black and long sleeved.  He had short brown hair in a mushroom cut and familiar blue eyes.

"Hey, he's the boy from that picture," said Leena, remembering Star's locket.  He ran up and stopped in front of John.

"Sir, where's Star?  Is she okay?" he asked in a panic.

"She's in there," he said.  The boy walked over to the glass wall and looked down.

"Oh man," he said.  He quickly ran past all of them and through another set of doors.  They looked down into the medical room and saw him run in and say something to the doctors.

"Who is that?" asked Naomi.

"That's Josh, Star's brother."

"Oh, so it was her brother who was in that picture," said Bit.

"That's correct."

"Star!" they heard Josh exclaim.  They all turned their attention and noticed that Star was now sitting up.  Josh hugged her and both of them smiled.  No one could hear what they were talking about now, but they continuously looked up at the two teams as Star pointed to them.  They guessed she was telling him about them.

"It's good that she's alright," said Jamie.

"Could you all please come this way?" asked John.  He was heading towards the double doors.  "There's something I wish to discuss with you."

"Okay," said Doc.  They all followed him down the halls and through a few doors.  They came to what looked like a meeting room.

"I have a favor to ask of you.  I heard that your two teams were thinking of joining together, so that the Blitz team would have 6 members."

"Yeah, we're thinking about it," said Naomi.

"If this turns out to be true, then I have but one request."

"Which is?" asked Doc.

"I would like you to take Star along with you."

"Are you sure?" asked Bit.

"Yes.  We want her to be protected, and we believe that putting her with you will be the best decision."

"Wouldn't she be safer with the ZBC?" asked Leena.

"I'm afraid not.  Her parents died here, in this base.  We don't want the same fate to befall her.  She can't go back to work since she was discovered and she's always said how she wanted to be a pilot and fight on a team.  I'm sure that she'd be safe with all of you.  You've done a good job of protecting her so far."

"I don't see why not," said Doc.

"Thank you.  We'll provide her with a zoid and everything.  That's all I wanted to ask of you.  You are all free to walk around the base and go where you please now."  He walked out of the room and they followed.  They soon all went off to explore on their own.

******

Leon stood in the hallway with the glass wall.  He was watching the doctors in the room as they took care of Star.  He was soon accompanied by someone else.

"Hi," said Josh.  Leon looked to him.  He was looking through the glass as well.  "It's Leon, right?"

"How'd you know?"

"Star told me about all of you.  She had the most to say about you."

"Me?"

"Yeah."  They were both quiet for a while.  "She told me that you have a sister too."

"Yeah."

"Her name is Leena, right?"

"Yeah."  It was quiet now again.

"I have a favor I'd like to ask you, you know, older brother to older brother."

"What is it?"

"I heard that Star was going to join your team.  I'd really appreciate it if you'd look after her for me."

"What?"

"You see, since our parents died, I've had to look out for her, but I can't be there for her now.  I want you to look after her."

"You think the Backdraft will attack her again?"

"Yes.  I'm sure John filled you in, but there's something he didn't tell you.  There's another reason why the Backdraft wants her."

"What's that?"

"Star has the ability to speak with zoids, even the ones that aren't ultimate X's.  Zoids communicate through feelings, and that's how she can talk with them.  By communicating her feeling and by receiving them.  She can do that with people too, but not in the same way.  She can only communicate her feelings, but only when she's really stressed or scared.  And it doesn't often happen.  She's not even aware of it.  The Backdraft wants her for this ability as well.  So please Leon, promise me you'll look after her."

"I promise."

"And don't tell her about what I said.  She insists that she can take care of herself.  And don't mention this to anyone else, okay?"

"Okay."

"Thanks.  Star spoke pretty highly of you ya know.  She says you saved her from the Backdraft."

"I guess I did."

"Thanks.  I can see you're already doing a great job.  I gotta get going.  Bye."

"Bye."

"Nice meeting you Leon."

"Same here."

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Remember to review!  REVIEW!!! Okay?  But no flames.

Audi^.^


	8. A New Appearance

It's been a while...a long while. I'm really sorry about that. I didn't mean it to take this long, but I guess it did. I'm winging it again with this chapter, so not even I know what could happen.  
  
Merry Christmas, happy holidays.  
  
Disclaimer: See first chapter.  
  
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"So...I'll be joining the Blitz team?" asked Star. She was sitting in the med room of the ZBC base. The leader of the base sat in front of her, talking her through the deal that was made.  
  
"Yes. We believe it is for the best. You know you can't work here again until this has all passed and we definitely can't send you back to the Backdraft. This is the only way to keep you safe."  
  
"It's fine by me. This'll be great! I can finally be in some real battles."  
  
"It's good to know you're alright with this. Once you're better, we'll make the preparations."  
  
"Alright." The leader stood up and left the room, heading back to his council room.  
  
******  
  
The base leader, also known as John, walked into his council room where the Blitz team was anxiously waiting.  
  
"I'm sorry to have kept you," apologized john.  
  
"It's fine," said Doc. "What did you want to talk to us about?"  
  
"It has to do with Star and the fact that she will be joining your team. There is one small problem and that is the fact that the Backdraft knows what she looks like. It won't be hard for them to track her down, so we have come up with a reasonable solution."  
  
"And that would be?" asked Bit.  
  
"From now on, Taki Star Summers no longer exists."  
  
"What do you mean?" asked Leena.  
  
"We are going to change everything about her except her personality. She will be given a new name, a new zoid, and a new appearance."  
  
"Can you do that?" asked Jamie.  
  
"Yes we can. I've talked it over with her and she says it's fine."  
  
"When will you be doing this?" asked Doc.  
  
"In a few hours. She should be better by then. We're giving her a special medicine that allows injuries to heal five times as fast."  
  
"Cool," said Bit.  
  
"Indeed. Now as I've said before, you are all free to wander around the base while you wait. It won't be long now."  
  
"Alright," they all responded. They all got up and left the meeting room.  
  
******  
  
Star sat in a new room where people were working on her. She wasn't sure what they were doing, but she didn't care. There was a lot of machinery and computers. Some scientists began to change some data around on the computer, or so it appeared.  
  
"John? Exactly what's going on?" asked Star.  
  
"Like I had said before, we're changing your appearance. Everything about you will be different."  
  
"What are they doing over there?" asked Star. She motioned towards the men at the computers.  
  
"It's kind of complicated. They are creating a name, history, and life for you."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You can't keep your name or your life anymore, or else the Backdraft will be able to find you. Your new name will be easy to remember. From now on, Star will no longer be your nickname, but your real name. You will be known as Star Tori. Your parents died in a car accident 5 years ago. You are 17 years old as of now. You are an only child. You have been a member of the Blitz team for one year."  
  
"Can you really do that?"  
  
"We are the ZBC, so yes, we can. I know it may seem odd at first, but this is for your own good. We are only trying to protect you."  
  
"I know and I don't mind. It might be fun." She sat there patiently as more people came into the room to perform more jobs.  
  
******  
  
The Blitz team members were standing around outside of a huge room. They were waiting for Star to come out.  
  
"John did say to come here at 4, didn't he?" asked Bit.  
  
"That's what he said," responded Jamie.  
  
"What's taking so long?" asked Leena. The door then opened and John walked out, followed by a young girl.  
  
"Sorry to have kept you waiting," apologized John.  
  
"Apology accepted," said Doc. They all just looked at who followed him out.  
  
"Is that you Star?" asked Leon. Her hair was a darker shade of its normal golden orange color and had been cut to just above her shoulders. Her eyes were no longer cerulean, but a navy blue color instead. She wore a pair of tan shorts and a white and tan short-sleeved shirt with pockets on both sides. (A/N if you've ever seen Tekken, then it's the outfit that Jun wears. Her hair is also styled sorta the same way. You can find a pic at http://animeart.com/cgi-bin/v?tekken/m;170;420) Her boots were brown and came to just past her ankle. On each wrist, she wore a golden band and her locket was around her neck. She just smiled to all of them.  
  
"Yeah, it's me," she responded.  
  
"Amazing," said Naomi. "You look almost completely different."  
  
"I know. They insisted on changing everything."  
  
"Now if all of you will come this way, we'll show you what kind of zoid we have prepared," said John. He led them down a few halls and towards a huge room with a glass wall that showed the inside of the hanger. They all looked into it and were amazed at what they saw. It was a huge bird like zoid. Its beak was similar to a Storm Sworder's and the sharp teeth inside the mouth made it look menacing. It was a dark blue, almost purple color. The build of the body was very similar to a Raynos, but the talons were much sharper and the tail was longer, with a blade on the end of it. The wings were black and looked like the wings of a Pterodactyl.  
  
"Whoa..." they all said in awe.  
  
"What kind of zoid is that?" asked Doc.  
  
"We call it Midnight Storm. We created it right here in this facility. It is one of a kind, equipped with blades, arsenals, and a charged particle cannon."  
  
"Amazing."  
  
"Star," said John. She turned her attention back to him. "This will be your zoid."  
  
"Are you serious?" she asked in shock.  
  
"Yes. It has been made so that it will only operate under you and no one else."  
  
"You mean like an ultimate X?"  
  
"To a certain extent. You see, all zoids have the ability to act upon their own, but it takes the emotions of a human pilot to bring out their hidden powers. For this zoid, that pilot is you Star. You know what I mean."  
  
"I know sir. Thank you."  
  
******  
  
The new and improved Blitz team waved goodbye as they left the base in their zoids. They silently traveled back to their own base. Star sat in the cockpit while looking at her journal/photo album. She looked over the pictures of her and Josh.  
  
"Looks I won't see you for a while bro. I wonder if you'd even recognize me if you saw me now. Take care bro."  
  
She set the book down and looked out the cockpit window at the road ahead. Her new zoid was soaring high in the sky and she loved it. "I love flying."  
  
So do I  
  
"Is that you Storm?"  
  
Yeah  
  
"I guess John was right. You're not an ultimate X, right?"  
  
Right  
  
"So I guess that means I'm the only one who can hear you, huh? You're not growling or anything?"  
  
You got it  
  
"Oh."  
  
You seem nervous  
  
"I am. I've never been in a real zoid battle before. I've watched them, but never been in one."  
  
You'll do fine. With me as your partner, you can't loose  
  
"Of course. We'll win, no matter what, but something else still bugs me."  
  
What is that?  
  
"What if the Backdraft finds me?"  
  
They won't  
  
"How can you be so sure?"  
  
You shouldn't think like that. Try thinking positive  
  
"Alright." She sat there in silence for a while until turning on her com- link. "Hey Leon?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I wanted to say thank you. I didn't get to before."  
  
"You're welcome, but I should be thanking you."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"For taking that bullet. Why did you do that? You could have died."  
  
"I know, but I had to."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"I really can't give you an answer right now. I knew I'd live but I wasn't sure if you would. I've been shot before."  
  
"You have?"  
  
"Yeah, 5 times now."  
  
"Is your job really that dangerous?"  
  
"Yeah, but I always had Josh to look out for me. Now I'm on my own."  
  
"Well...you have me...don't you?"  
  
"What?" She was then happy that the screen wasn't up, because she blushed slightly.  
  
"What I mean is...I'll protect you, so don't worry."  
  
"Thanks Leon."  
  
"You're welcome."  
  
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That's all for now. Sorry it took so long. I'll try to write more sooner than I had wrote this chapter. Audi^.^ 


	9. Embaracing Moments

This will be a short chapter.  Why?  Because I'm not very motivated right now, and I have a ton of stuff to write.  That and I'm having a case of writer's block wit this fic.  I'm coming up with nothing right now.  Well, wish me luck.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids.

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They had all returned to the base of the Blitz team after a quiet ride through the desert.  Star had gotten herself situated in her knew home and was looking forward to the upcoming battle that would take place in two days.  Right now, however, she was putting on a bathing suit.  Naomi and Leena were waiting for her to come to the pool.

Meanwhile, at the pool area, Leena and Naomi were sitting in a hot tub, talking.

"I'm glad dad finally added in the pool room I wanted," said Leena, looking around the room.  It was similar to a pool room you would find in a fancy hotel.  The swimming pool was huge and it spread for over half of the room, which was already pretty large.

"This is great.  Now we can swim whenever we want," said Naomi.  She had on a red bikini and Leena was wearing a new lavender one that she had bought.

"Yeah."  It was quiet for a little while, until Leena thought of something.  "Hey Naomi?  What do you think about Star?"

"What do you mean?"

"Doesn't it seem like she's hiding something from us?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know.  Something?"

"I think you're just imagining it.  She doesn't have much to hide.  She seems like a slightly shy person, that's all.  She might not completely open up to us until she's been here for a while.  Just be patient with her."

"I guess."  Leena then smiled at the other conversation she had thought of.  "Hey Naomi?  How about we play a little game of matchmaker?"

"Hmm?  What do you mean?"

"I mean hook up Star and Leon."

"You want to go behind your own brother's back and hook him up with Star?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't that, I don't know, kind of like butting into their business?"

"Are you in or are you out?"

"Are you insane?  Of course I'm in.  What do you think we should do?"

"I'm still deciding.  Maybe we should get Brad and Bit's help on this."  Naomi just stared at her as if she was insane.

"Brad and Bit?  Like they can really help in this kind of situation."

"It's worth a try."  As if on cue, both boys entered the room.  Bit was overly excited and jumped in the pool.

"Yahoo!" he shouted.  He then popped up.  "It feels great!  Come on Brad!"

"Hey Bit, Brad!  Come here for a second!" called Naomi.  Both boys came over to the hot tub that the two girls were recently sitting in.

"What is it?" asked Brad.

"We have a plan.  Do you want to help us?" asked Leena

"What kind of plan?" asked Bit.  Leena's plans were never very good and he was slightly nervous about what this one would be.

"We want to hook up Star and Leon," she answered.

"What?" asked both boys.

"Don't you think it's a great idea?  They look great together, and it seems that they already might like each other.  So, what do you say?"

"Naomi, you're in on this too?" asked Brad, almost unbelievingly.

"Of course.  I think it's a great idea," she answered.  Bit and Brad exchanged confused looks and then looked back to Leena and Naomi.

"I'm in," said Bit.

"Same here," said Brad.  Just then, Star walked into the pool room and they all turned to her.  Leena and Naomi got out of the hot tub and walked over to her.  Star was wearing a dark blue bikini.  She was blushing slightly.  It was hard to imagine that a ZBC spy would be so shy about wearing a bikini.

"Star, that color definitely suits you," said Leena, trying to make her feel more comfortable.  Stay just blushed harder.

"Really?"

"Yeah!  Of course!  Would I lie to you?"

"Well…"

"Anyway, let's all get in.  According to Bit, the water's great."

"Alright."  They all got into the pool and Bit had been right.  The water felt great.  They soon had started a game of water volleyball, since they had the net and the ball.

"So, Star, do you know if Leon is coming?" asked Naomi.  Star just shook her head.

"Why would I know?" she asked.

"I don't know.  I was just wondering."  Just then, the door opened again and in walked the Blade Liger pilot himself.

"Leon, you're just in time!" said Leena happily.  "We're going to play girls against guys.  Get in here!"

"Alright, calm down Leena," said Leon.  He quickly got in as they set up everything.  Leena served and instantly got a point.  The guys didn't seem to be very good at this, since they couldn't decide who would get the ball and often end up completely missing it or colliding with each other and letting the ball hit the water.  It wasn't long before the girls won.

"Come on you guys, you need to try a little harder than that," said Leena in a cocky tone.

"Let's play something else," suggested Bit.

"Like what?" asked Leena.

"Just…something else!"  They weren't able to decide on a game, so they just swam and talked about different things.  Eventually, it was dinnertime and they had to get out and eat.  Jamie had made dinner and it consisted of chicken, potatoes, and carrots.  After dinner, they all sat down and watched a movie.  After that, they went to bed.  It had been a very fun day.  Being a team of 7 warriors was going to prove to be interesting.  Jamie would have to cook more and battles would have to be divided up evenly.  However, they would think about it more in the morning.

******

Star woke up in a cold sweat.  She was breathing hard and having a hard time cooling down.  She eventually got her mind under control and then lied back down.  'What a horrible nightmare.  I hope it never happens.  I wouldn't be able to forgive myself if it did.'  She closed her eyes and fell asleep.  No more dreams came to her that night.

******

That morning, Star woke up and quickly got out of bed.  Since they had so many people living at the base and only one shower, it was going to be chaos until they got their bath schedule redone.  Star wanted in first, so she grabbed a towel and ran to the bathroom.  Bit had just gotten out.

"I'm gonna take a shower now, alright?" she said to Bit.  He nodded, but he seemed to be half asleep.  Star hoped he would remember and then let the door slide closed behind her.  She quickly turned on the water.  The steam soon filled the room.  She took off her nightgown and got in.  Showers always helped her relax.

Meanwhile, the other Blitz team members were getting out of bed as well.  Bit had already taken his shower, so he didn't have to worry about accidentally walking in on anyone.  He was still half asleep when he passed Leon, who had just finished eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast.  Bit walked in and yawned.  He then went to get his own bowl of cereal.

"Hey Bit, did you leave any hot water?" asked Leon.  Bit just nodded lazily.  Leon then stood up and walked out of the room.  "I think I'll take a shower," he said as he left the kitchen.  Bit wasn't paying much attention.  There was something he was supposed to remember about the shower, but he was too tired.  Some cereal would wake him up.  However, he put the bowl away when he spotted the donuts.  He picked one up and began to munch on it, but he picked a really bad time to do so.

"BIT!!!" shouted Leena.  Bit was now fully awake as he looked over at an enraged Leena.  He then looked down at the donut in his hand and then back up at Leena.  He then made a mad dash for the hanger.  "You won't get away!!!"

"Come on Leena!  Share the wealth!!"

"No way!!!"  As Bit and Leena carried out their usual routine, Leon made his way to the bathroom.  He opened the door and then froze.  There was steam in the room, meaning someone was in the shower and he could do nothing but stare at the shadow through the curtain.  She was humming to herself and he knew exactly who it was.  Leon quietly turned around and walked out of the bathroom.  He leaned against the wall with an indescribable look on his face.  Just then, Bit walked into the room with a lump on his head.  He looked to Leon, who seemed shocked and surprised as he leaned against the wall.

"What's wrong?  I thought you were going to take a shower?"  Bit suddenly remembered something.  "Oh yeah, Star said she was going to take a shower this morning.  She must be..."  Leon stiffened and gulped.  Bit had been walking passed him when he heard the gulp from Leon.  Bit stopped and got a sly look on his face.  "You didn't?" he asked in a sly voice.  Leon just looked to him.  He seemed embarrassed and incredibly uncomfortable.  "No way, you went in?  Man, and you didn't even get hit or anything!  Leena hit me that time I accidentally walked in on her."

"It's not what you think.  I didn't know she was in there," defended Leon.

"I'm sure you didn't."

"It was an accident."

"Of course it was."

"Bit, you can't say anything about it, alright?"

"You expect me to keep this kind of a secret?"

"Yes."

"Alright, fine, I won't say anything about it.  Happy now?"  Leon still had a small blush on his face from embarrassment.  He had just walked in on a girl in the shower.  He began to run back to his room, leaving Bit standing there.  He was still smirking.  Suddenly, the door opened and Star walked out.  She was wearing a light blue robe and drying her hair.

"Huh?  Hi Bit.  I thought I heard you talking to Leon," she said.

"Oh, I was.  You might want to go tell him that the shower is free.  He's been waiting."

"Alright," she said as she walked down the hall.  Bit began to snicker to himself.  The incident was just too funny for him, since he had never seen Leon look like that before.

"Oh man, I wish I had a camera.  Leon's face was priceless!"  He began to laugh loudly as he leaned against the wall for support.

Meanwhile, Star walked down the hall to Leon's room.  She was about to turn the corner when someone bumped into her.  It was Leon and both of them lost their balance and fell over from the impact.  Leon had been running, so he had hit her harder.  Both of them closed their eyes as they headed towards the ground.  When they opened their eyes, both of them blushed.  They were only a few inches from each other.  Leon had fallen on top of Star.  Neither of them moved, since they were both too embarrassed to do much.

"Um…" said Star quietly.  "Do you think…you could get off of me?"  Leon snapped out of his shock and then quickly stood up and helped Star to her feet.

"Sorry, it was an accident."

"It's alright.  I just came to tell you that the shower is free."  And with that, she turned around and headed off to her room.  When she got there, she closed the door behind her and walked over to her mirror.  She was still blushing.  'Why am I blushing like this?  Why is it he always makes me feel this way?  We were so close to each other.  I could feel him breathing and his heart pounding.  He was blushing too.  Why?'  She shook her head and then decided to get dressed.  This was going to be an interesting day.

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I said it would be slightly short.  Please read and review, or else I won't write more.  Okay?  And happy Independence Day!

Audi^.^


	10. It's Never All Right

I'm so sorry.  To be honest, this was one of the few things I worked on when I was internetless.  And in ways, I still am.  I can't be on for very long, only about three hours.  So therefore, updates will come less and less and I'll try to update my other stuff too.  I'm sorry for any spelling mistakes I might have made.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, so there…yeah…real intelligent.  No duh I don't own zoids.

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Star walked through the hanger at the base.  She looked up at all the zoids.  They looked like statues made of metal.  A small frown graced her face.  "It must be boring just standing around like that," she said to them.

It is responded Storm.  But we'll live  Star laughed quietly and then walked to the far wall and sat down.  She looked up towards the ceiling.

"Who do you think will be battling tomorrow?" she asked.

The two of us, of course responded Storm.  Star pulled her knees tightly against herself and laid her head on them.  What's wrong

"Nothing.  I'm just a little nervous, that's all."

You're a ZBC agent.  You shouldn't worry about it.  Besides, you have me

"I know."  A low roar then filled the room.  Star looked up and noticed that the Liger Zero was facing her.

So, you can speak to us he roared to her.

"Yes," she responded simply.

How long have you had this ability

"For as long as I can remember.  I've always been able to talk to zoids like this."

Interesting

"But none of you can mention this to anyone, alright?  To tell you the truth, I'm still afraid.  What if the Backdraft group finds me?  What if they go after the team?  It'll be all my fault."

Don't think like that scolded Storm.  Like I said before, think positive  Star smiled and stood up.

"I guess you're right," she said with a smile on her face.  She then left the hanger, hoping to find something to do.

******

The next day came around all too quickly.  It was the day of their first battle as a new and improved team.  They stood ready at the battlefield.  "Are you guys ready to launch?" asked Jamie.

"Yes," came four replies.  In the launch bay, four warriors were waiting.  Star sat anxiously in the cockpit of Midnight Storm, waiting for the battle to begin.  You seem excited

"I am," responded Star.  "This is my first official battle!"

Just don't get distracted

"Don't worry, I won't."

"Star, are you ready?" asked Doc over the com-link.

"Of course."  The lift went up, carrying her and Storm.  They were then launched from the hover cargo.  Storm spread her wings and flew above the battlefield, landing next to the Gun Sniper.  The warriors in this battle were Bit and the Liger Zero, Leena and the Gun Sniper, Leon and the Blade Liger, and her and Midnight Storm.  They began to walk together, looking for the other team.  They were in a desert area and they were walking up a steep sand hill.  When they got to the other side, all of them were speechless.  Four command wolves lay in ruins on the desert sands.  The pilots were long gone and the judge capsule had also been taken out.

"Who could have done this?" asked Bit, his voice displaying his shock.

"Even the judge was taken out," said Leon.

"I hope the pilots made it out okay," added Leena.  Star didn't say anything.  She just sat there and stared at the wreckage.  'Those zoids…they're all dead.  Their zoid cores were destroyed.  They were all murdered.'  She clenched her fists, tears coming to her eyes.  'Who did this?!'

Star, I know how you feel, but you must keep your anger in check

'So, you can read my thoughts too?'

Of course.  You're in my cockpit, aren't you

'This isn't fair.  This never should have happened.  These zoids can't even be saved.  I should have done something!  We should have gotten here earlier!'

Star, please, keep your temper under control.  You don't know what might happen if you don't  Suddenly, the wind picked up, swirling the desert sands around them.  The zoids all stood their ground and watched as a whale king appeared in the sky.  It opened the hatch and a Genosaurer jumped down from it, landing in front of the Blitz team.  "Blitz team," spoke the pilot.  "We aren't here to fight you.  If you tell us where Taki Summers is, we'll leave peacefully."

"What makes you think we know where she is?" asked Bit in a cocky tone.

"You were the last people she was with," responded the Genosaurer pilot.

"The ZBC took her after you jerks shot her," said Leena angrily.  "We haven't seen her since."

"You're obviously lying."

"Even if we did know," said Leon.  "There's no way we'd tell you."  The Genosaurer roared at the team and began to charge at them.

"I'll teach you a lesson.  When I'm through with you, you'll be wishing you had told us where she is."  Bit, Leena, and Leon all got right into the battle.  Star just sat in the cockpit of Storm, her head down.  Star questioned Storm.  Star, are you there?  Star  Storm tapped in deeper to Star and noticed that her mind was full of nothing but hatred.  She was angry.  Not a thought passed through her mind, only the strong emotion of hate.  However, another emotion soon surfaced.  It was guilt.  'This is my fault.  They're still after me.'

Star, this isn't your fault.  Don't even think about giving yourself up.  We've come this far and I'm not letting you blow your cover now.  We should be out there helping them

'I know that.'  She grabbed the controls and they were off.  Storm took to the sky and launched a few missiles at the Genosaurer.  They all hit, since the pilot had been distracted.  He glared up at Star.  "So you're their new pilot," he said.  He launched some anti air missiles, but Star maneuvered around all of them.  They then landed on the ground.  The clamps went down on Storm's feet and the dragon like tail extended.  The mouth opened and the cannon appeared.  The familiar light of charged particles appeared near the mouth.  The pilot of the Genosaurer looked afraid.  "What is that pilot doing?!"

"Star, that's unnecessary!" called Leon.  "We can handle it."  However, the cannon didn't stop charging.

"Star!" shouted Leena.  Star wasn't listening.  She sat at attention in her cockpit.  Star!  What are you doing?!

"I'm going to finish him," she said coldly.  "He killed those zoids.  He doesn't deserve to have one of his own."

Star, you'll kill them both at this rate.  I know you can feel the pain a zoid feels when it gets injured, but have you ever felt the pain from one dying?  Star's eyes widened as she realized what she was about to do.  However, the beam was done charging.  Before it could fire, she turned Storm upwards and the beam fired off at the whale king.  It went right through the metal.  The Genosaurer looked upwards and then back at the Blitz team.  "We'll finish this later," he said before taking off after the retreating whale king.  Bit, Leena, and Leon all turned to face Star.  The Midnight Storm stood in the same position from when the beam had been fired.  Inside the cockpit, Star was panting.  'I almost…killed them.'

But you managed to stop in the nick of time

'Only because you helped me.'

Star, you're going to have to keep your powers under check.  Because you're connected with zoids emotionally, you can feel their pain.  If you kill one, the pain may become too much for you to bear.  I know you can hear their cries when they get hurt, but when they die, you may feel something more.  You're going to have to be careful from now on.  In zoid battle, the other team has to get injured sometimes

'I know that and I can deal with it, but this was too much.  What if I lose control again?  What if I…what if I end up killing not only zoids but people too?'

That's why you have us spoke the Gun Sniper.  Star looked up and noticed that all of the zoids were around her and Storm.  Our pilots are all very worried about you spoke the Gun Sniper again.

"Star?  Are you alright?" asked Leena.  Star smiled in her cockpit.

"I'm fine," she answered.  "I guess I just got a little carried away."

"Well, it looks like this battle is over, so let's get going," said Bit, already heading back to the hover cargo.  Leena and the Gun Sniper followed after him.  However, Leon stayed.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked, knowing that Star wouldn't give him an honest answer.

"…No…" she whispered, surprising Leon.  "I'm not alright and I never will be."

"What?"

"…Nothing.  Let's get going."  Storm turned around and began to walk off after the other retreating zoids.  The Blade Liger stood there for a while longer.  Leon was contemplating what he had just heard.  'Did she say what I think she said, or was I just hearing things?'  He shook his head and followed after his retreating team.

******

Star lied on her bed, her transmitter next to her.  She was hoping for a call, but so far no one had called her on it.  Suddenly, it crackled and she picked it up.

"…Star?" questioned a familiar voice.  A smile spread across her face.

"Hi Josh," she said happily.  "How are you?"

"I'm fine.  What about you?"

"I'm okay.  The Backdraft attacked us though."

"I know.  That's why I called you.  I had to make sure you were alright."

"Thanks for worrying, but I'm fine now.  My team is looking out for me."

"I know.  Take care Star.  I have to get going."

"Alright."

"Goodbye, sis."

"Goodbye."  The transmission ended and Star lied back down on her bed.  She was tired and decided to go to sleep.  A small nap wouldn't hurt her any.

******

Star was walking in the desert, the sky pitch black.  She was walking up a hill.  She soon came to the top and looked out over the sands.  Her eyes widened as the sand around her became red.  The bodies of six familiar people were scattered across the area.  Bit, Leena, Brad, Naomi, Jamie, and Doc were all lying unconscious on the ground.  The smell of blood reached Star's nose and she felt sick.  The sand was red with blood.  Their blood.  She closed her eyes as tears came to them.

"Hello, Taki," said a cruel and familiar voice.  Star looked up to see Ain standing there.  In his hand was a gun.  In his other hand he held onto the neck of a boy.  "It seems we finally caught this ZBC spy."

"Josh," whispered Star.  Ain aimed the gun at his chest and fired it, Star's eyes widening, the tears falling from them.  "No!" she screamed.  Ain tossed Josh's body to the side, a smile on his face.

"And now, Taki, it's your turn."  He raised the gun and aimed it at her head.  Her eyes were filled with fear and despair.  'I don't want to die yet.'  He pulled the trigger.

"Star!" shouted Leon.  From out of nowhere, he jumped in front of her, taking the hit.  The bullet pierced his chest, near his heart.  He fell back and Star caught his shoulders, but they both fell to the ground.  Star was under Leon partially.  His head was resting on her lap.  Ain had been completely forgotten in that instant.  "Leon!" called Star as he placed a hand over the hole in his chest.  His eyes were closed tightly from the pain.  "Leon, answer me!" she pleaded.  He opened his eyes slowly and looked up at her.

"I'm glad you're alright," he said in a strained voice.

"Leon, wait here.  I'm going to go get you some help," she said.  However, there was no one nearby that could help him and she knew it.  Leon knew it as well.

"Just forget about it, Star," he said, looking up at her.  "It's too late."

"No!  You idiot!  You shouldn't have done that!  Why did you save me!?  Why?!"  Tears were falling from her eyes, dripping to the red sand beneath them.  Leon reached up and wiped her tears away with his hand.

"You shouldn't cry, you know."  His hand dropped to the sand and his eyes closed.  "This is what I wanted to do, so don't cry for me."  His breathing stopped and Star could feel a wave of pain pass through her.  She had also been able to feel the pain from his wound, but his presence leaving her was the most painful experience of all.  The scene faded and she was cast into darkness.  "No!" she cried out.  The scent of blood became overwhelming and she felt sick to her stomach.  She was also developing a headache.  "Make it stop!"  The darkness continued to consume her.  "Stop it!"

"Star!"

******

Star's eyes shot open and they met a pair of light blue ones.  She sat up quickly and just stared at the man in front of her.  "Leon…" she whispered.  He had his hands on her shoulders, still shaking her slightly.

"What's wrong?" he asked her.  "Are you alright?"  He sounded worried.  Star's eyes filled with tears and she hugged him, causing Leon to tense up.  He hadn't expected that to happen.  She hugged him tightly.

"I was so scared," she said, her voice slightly muffled since she was pressed against him.  "It all felt so real."

"Star, what's wrong?" he asked her again.

"I dreamt you had all died," she said sadly.  "I watched you and Josh die.  I could feel your pain and it scared me."  Leon contemplated this for a while.  He reached up and wrapped his arms around her, holding her while she cried.  There wasn't much to say.  She obviously knew it was just a dream, so he couldn't say something like that.  'Did my death scare her this much?' he pondered to himself.

Outside of the room, four warriors stood, listening and watching.

"Poor Star," said Leena, understanding the girl's pain.

"She never gets much sleep," stated Naomi.

"I know.  I've seen her walking around sometimes at night," added Bit.

"I know it's a depressing matter, but one good thing came out of it," said Brad.  The other three turned to him questioningly.

"And that would be?" they all asked him.  He pointed to Leon and Star.  The warriors all watched as Leon held Star as she cried.  They all smiled at this.

"Well, our plan seems to be working quite well," said Leena.

"We didn't really do much, though," pointed out Naomi.  "They did this on their own.  We'll just have to keep pushing them in that direction."

Inside the room, Star had finally calmed down a little.  However, she still held on tightly to Leon.  He smiled down at her.

"Feeling better?" he asked her.  She lifted her head and met his eyes.

"Yeah, a little," she answered.  He simply smiled.

"I'm glad."  Star let go of him and he did the same with her.  Leon then stood up and walked towards the door.  The four snooping warriors ran away before Leon or Star noticed them.  Leon turned back to Star and smiled.  "Just remember, I'm always here if you need me."

"Okay," said Star, nodding her head once.  Leon turned around and walked out of her room, leaving her to her thoughts.  She lied back down on her bed and closed her eyes.  'Just what is this feeling?'  Her heart was beating faster than it usually did.  'The way he held me…made me feel so safe, and those eyes…'  She closed her eyes and began to drift off to sleep again.  '…I could get lost in eyes like that…'

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That was fun^.^  Anyway, I'll try to write more, and I really am sorry for the wait.  Internet hasn't been easy to come by lately.

Please be patient, cause I don't know when I'll have the next one up.

See ya later!


	11. Ballroom Dancing

Well, here's another chapter.  I'm having a few problems coming up with ideas, so let's hope this chapter sparks something.  I'm sorry if it's taking me longer than usual to write things, but I'm limited and pushed for time.  I've also been spending a lot of time on original stories.

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids.  You should know that.

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The next two days passed by slowly.  There weren't any battles scheduled until next week, so everyone was basically bored.  Star was lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling.  There wasn't much to do today.  Her radio at her side began to beep, drawing her attention.  She picked it up and pushed the receiver.  "Hello?" she said into it.

"Star," spoke a distinguished sounding voice, bringing a smile to Star's face.

"Hi John," she said into the radio.

"How is everything going?"

"Just fine.  The Blitz team is great."

"They're taking good care of you?"

"Of course.  Why even ask that?"  John gave a deep laugh, which made Star feel great.  John had always been like an uncle to her.

"I suppose you're right," he told her.  "However, there's another reason I called."

"What is it?"

"The ZBC is having their annual party, and we're allowing zoids teams to come this time.  We were wondering if the Blitz team would be going."

"Even if they don't want to, I'll be there.  I wouldn't miss it for the world."

"We'll try our best to get Josh to come, but I'm not sure if he'll be able to get away long enough."

"That's alright," said Star.  "I understand."

"Well then, talk it over with your team and see if they'll be coming.  We'd really enjoy having all of you there."

"I will.  Bye John."

"Goodbye Star."  Star set the radio down and stood up, walking out of the room.  She found the rest of the team sitting in the main room, watching TV.  They all looked bored.  Star had a huge smile on her face as she walked over to them.  "I need to ask you guys about something," she said to them, grabbing their attention.

"What is it?" asked Leena.

"Did you hear anything about the party the ZBC is having?"  They all nodded.  "Well, are we going or not?"

"Just what are these parties like?" asked Bit.

"Well, it's formal, you know, dresses, suits, all that stuff.  It's really a lot of fun.  This is the first year they're letting zoid warriors attend.  Usually, it's only for ZBC workers."  Naomi smiled.

"You really want to go, don't you," she said in more of a statement than a question.  Star nodded meekly.

"Well then," said Doc.  "They're probably expecting you there, so we can't let them down."  He gave Star a smile.  "We'll go."  Star was jumping for joy on the inside, but simply put a smile on her face.  "Thank you," she said to them.

"When is this party?" asked Jamie.

"Um…Tomorrow night."  Leena and Naomi stood up and walked over to Star.

"Well then, we should go shopping today so we'll be ready tomorrow," suggested Leena.  The three girls left the room and began to head for the garage.

******

The girls had spent the day shopping and the guys had gone out the next morning.  The day and a half went by quickly.  It was already time to head to the party.  They had all gotten into the hover cargo and were on their way.  It wouldn't take them very long to get there.  Everyone was getting dressed for the formal ZBC party.  Star was hoping against all odds that her brother would be there, when she knew for a fact that it would be hard to get away from the Backdraft.  However, she couldn't help but hope.  They had soon arrived at the large, ZBC base where the party was being held.  It was a beautiful looking building, almost more like an opera house than a base.  Hundreds of people were entering the building, most of which were zoid warriors.  They had all brought their transporters and their zoids, just in case they were to need them.  Everyone met up in the main room.  The guys were all dressed in black suits, but no ties.  They all looked quite nice.  The girls all had their hair done up.  Leena was dressed in a strapless lavender dress that seemed to glimmer in the light.  Naomi had a maroon colored dress with only one strap going over her left shoulder.  Star was wearing a cream colored, spaghetti strap dress.  They were all absolutely beautiful.  They all exited the hover cargo and entered the building.  All of them but Star were shocked at what they saw.  The room they were in was huge, containing both the downstairs and the upstairs balcony area.  There were tables set to the sides but the middle was set for a dance floor.  There were hundreds of people, both pilots and ZBC officials.  It was absolutely amazing.  "Star!" shouted someone from their left.  They all turned to see who it was.  There was a man standing there, his green eyes shining.  He had short red hair and was dressed just like all the other men in the room.  "Jason!" said Star happily as she ran over to him.  She hugged him tightly and then pulled away.

"When they told me you weren't working here anymore, I wasn't sure if I'd see you tonight," he told her.

"Well, I came anyway.  I wouldn't miss this party for the world."  The Blitz team members just stared at the two of them, confused.  From the crowd, John emerged, coming over to greet them all.  "Good evening, Blitz team," he said to them, catching their attention.

"Hello again John," said Doc happily.

"Hey John," began Leena.  "Who's that boy?"  She pointed to the man Star was talking to.

"Oh, that's Jason, Star's cousin.  He works here as well, but Star never really gets to see him.  Being here will be good for her."

"What about Josh?" asked Bit.  John frowned slightly.

"I'm afraid Josh won't be joining us tonight.  He said he'd try to get away for a while, but that we shouldn't get our hopes up."  Star was done talking to Jason and had returned to her team.

"Well," she began, "shall we get something to eat?"

******

It had been an hour already and they had just finished their dinner.  It was great, not to mention free.  Even though there was a meal prepared for everyone, there was also a table full of food and refreshments.  Star was off talking to a few ZBC officials.  She appeared to be having a good time.  The Blitz team simply watched her.

"She seems happy," said Brad.

"It was a good idea for us to come here," said Bit.

"Yeah, Star really needed this," agreed Naomi.

"If only her brother could have made it," said Leena, sounding slightly disappointed.  "I mean, it's obvious that Star really misses him."  The four of them were sitting at a table by themselves.  Doc, Leon, and Jamie were no where to be found, which made them all a little irritated.  Doc and Jamie were most likely talking to John, but they weren't sure where Leon was.  They wanted to keep an eye on him.

"You know," began Leena.  "Matchmaking is hard when you can't find the people you're supposed to hook up."

"Well, we know where Star is," said Bit.

"Are you sure about that?" asked Leena.  Bit turned to where Star had been, but she wasn't there anymore.

"Where'd she go?" he asked Leena.

"She just said she doesn't know," answered Naomi.

"Well, we aren't going to find them by sitting around here," said Brad while standing up.

"I agree," said Bit while following suit.  "This is a party after all.  We shouldn't just be sitting around doing nothing.  You're supposed to mingle."  Naomi smiled and stood up.  She walked over to Brad.

"Well," she began, "should we start mingling?"  He simply nodded and they walked off together into the crowds.  They ended up on the dance floor and began to dance.  Leena stood up and stood next to Bit, who was glancing down at her out of the corner of his eye.  She looked beautiful tonight and he really wanted to be out there dancing with her, but he was a little nervous for some reason.  He didn't notice that Leena had caught him staring at her.  "What is it?" she asked him, curious.

"Uh, nothing," he said quickly.  "It's just that…you look really nice tonight."  Leena blushed slightly and turned away.

"Thanks," she said quietly.  Bit simply smiled.

"Hey Leena, do you want to dance?" he asked.  She turned to him and smiled.

"Sure, why not," she said.  He gave her his arm and she accepted.  They walked out onto the dance floor together.  "You know, you clean up quite nicely, Bit Cloud."  He simply smiled, glad he had summed up the courage to ask.

******

Star stood by herself near a window.  She was simply watching the different couples dance.  She smiled when she noticed that Brad, Naomi, Bit, and Leena were all out there.  "Star!" shouted a familiar voice.  Star froze from surprise, but she slowly turned towards the voice.  She was overcome with joy as she saw the man who had called her name.  "Josh!" she shouted as she ran to him, throwing her arms around him.  "I didn't think you'd come."

"I wasn't sure I'd make it here either.  I can't stay for long, but I had to come.  I haven't missed a single one."

"Neither have I.  I'm glad they allowed zoid warriors to come this time."

"How is everything?"

"It's great.  We have a battle in about three days.  What about you?"

"The Backdraft still has no idea I'm working for the ZBC or that I'm your brother."

"Just what have you found out?"

"Nothing yet.  They haven't really discussed any major plans with me.  However, there are still people out looking for you."

"I know," she said, sounding downhearted.  "But I have my team.  I know they'll watch out for me."

"I bet they will."  He released her and smiled.  "I'm afraid there's something I have to discuss with John right now, but I won't leave without saying goodbye, alright?"

"Okay," she said wile nodding.  Josh walked off into the crowds to find John, leaving Star alone again.  She simply watched as the couples danced on the dance floor.  "Hey Star," said a familiar voice from her right.  She turned and saw Leon approaching her.  She simply smiled.

"Hello Leon," she said happily.

"I just saw Josh."  Star nodded.

"Yeah, he had to go talk to John about something.  I'm really glad he came, though.  We haven't missed a single party."

"Thanks for suggesting this to Dad.  I don't know if we would have gone if you hadn't asked about it."

"Well, I was a little nervous about asking.  I didn't want to seem too demanding.  I mean, all of you have done so much for me already; I don't want to ask for too much."

"It's alright.  We're always willing to help out.  You can come to us for anything."

"I know, but still.  I just don't want to seem like I'm taking over.  Remember, I'm only on your team because you don't mind hiding me from the Backdraft.  It's really nice of you…to help us out and all."

"Star, we didn't do this to help the ZBC.  Remember, we helped you out before we even knew that you worked here.  We did this to help you."  Star smiled, her eyes shining.

"Thank you.  And Leon?  About the other day…I jus want you to know that…what you did…really meant a lot to me.  So, thank you again."

"You don't need to thank me," he said with a smile.  They both simply stood there in silence for a while, watching the people in the room.  Leon glanced down at Star.  'God, she's beautiful.'  He took in a deep breath before deciding to ask her something.  "Star, would you like to dance?" he asked, offering her his arm.  Star was a little startled, but she soon broke into a smile.  

"I would love to," she responded, taking his arm.  They walked out together onto the dance floor.  Leon placed his hand on her waist while she placed hers on his shoulder.  They clasped their other hands and began the dance.  It was your average ballroom dance.  (A/N For those of you who've played it, think dance scene from Final Fantasy VIII but without any mistakes.  For those of you who haven't…think fancy ballroom waltz with spinning and other cool/fancy dance moves…sorry.  I'm not good at describing dances.)  From the other side of the room, Josh was watching them, a smile on his face.  "Maybe I should give up being a spy and become a professional matchmaker," he said cheerfully.  He hadn't really needed to talk to John, but when he saw Leon coming over, he decided to let them have some privacy.  He looked around the room and his eyes landed on someone who seemed slightly familiar.  He dropped his smile and focused on the man.  He was dressed in a tux like all the other men, with the exception of Josh, who was still wearing his normal brown trench coat, blue jeans, and black shirt.  This man was wearing sunglasses to hide his eyes.  He seemed slightly suspicious, since he was standing completely alone.  He was also watching the dance floor.  More importantly, he was watching Star.  He had his hands in his pockets and appeared to be taking something out.  It was a silver gun.  However, a few people moved in front of the man, and when they finally left, he was gone.  Josh began to look around for the man, but he couldn't find him.  "Damn it, this can't be good."  He began to walk through the crowds, looking for the man.  'Does he know…about Star?'  The thought really got Josh going.  He had to find out what was going on.

The song ended and everyone stopped dancing, waiting for the next song.  "Thanks Leon," said Star with a smile and he simply returned it.  She released his hand and looked around the room.  Her eyes landed on Josh, who was following a man dressed in a black suit wearing sunglasses.  "Excuse me, Leon," she said, her smile dropping.  She walked away, going off to follow her brother, who was following the man quietly.  Leon saw where she was going and decided to follow as well.  Star ran up to Josh but said nothing.  He simply glanced down at her and she nodded to him.  "He's up to something," whispered Josh.  "I think he works for the Backdraft."

"Then you shouldn't be messing with him," she whispered to Josh.  "You could blow your cover."

"If that happens then that man can't leave here alive."  Star nodded and continued to walk with her brother.  The mysterious man disappeared into the halls of the first floor, which were a lot like a maze.  They were brown walled and red carpeted hallways and they branched off into many other ones.  "Star, we should split up," said Josh.  "If you find him, you know what to do."  Star nodded and watched as Josh walked down one hallway, leaving her to go down the other.  They had to find the man and there were so many ways he could have gone.  She began to walk, looking for the man they had followed.  She turned a few corners, walking quietly.  She came to a four way intersection in the hallway and was quickly grabbed from her left.  A scream escaped her before a hand clasped over her mouth.  An arm wrapped around her shoulders near her neck, holding her tightly.  She glanced back and saw the man she had been following.  "It's good to see you again, Taki," spoke the man, his voice sly and familiar.  Star's eyes widened at the mention of her real name.  Only one man called her that.  'Ain.'  

"Did you think that your disguise would fool me?  I know you too well Taki 'Star' Summers."  Star knew she had to get away.  She stepped back and caught his leg, tripping him.  He released her and she tried to run, but Ain quickly grabbed her ankle, tripping her as well.  "You can never make things easy, can you?" he asked her, his voice dark.  She shook his hand from her ankle and tried to stand up so she could get away, but he was one step ahead of her.  He grabbed her by the wrist and jerked her towards him.  She tried to punch him in the face, but he moved and she missed.  She then tried to kick him, but it failed as well.  "You don't know when to give up, do you?" he asked her.  He kicked her hard in the stomach and she was sent to the ground in the middle of the intersection.  She held her stomach, trying to catch her breath.  "Star?" questioned a soft, familiar voice.  Her eyes widened and she lifted her head, now looking into the eyes of Leon Toros, who was walking down the hall towards her.  

"Leon," she whispered, suddenly becoming overwhelmed with panic.  "Leon, get out of here!" she yelled to him.  He stopped walking and stared at her in confusion.  "Please!"

"Star, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"You need to get out of here!"  Just then, Ain came around the corner, a pistol in his hand.  He had a dark expression on his face as he lifted the gun towards Leon and fired.

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Well now, how was that for a chapter?  I hope you liked it.  It took me a long time to write it.  I think I finally got the inspiration I needed.  This won't be nearly so hard to write anymore.

I'll probably update again on Thanks Giving, so look for it^.^

Oh, if you'd like to be emailed about when I update, just say so.

See ya^.^


	12. Broken Down

Well, here we go.  Sorry about the major cliffhanger.  I hope I didn't drive anyone insane with it.  I'm just a big fan of cliffhangers.

Anyway, happy Thanksgiving to those of you who will celebrate it^.^

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, but I'm happy to say that I own Star and Josh.  I like the two of them^.^

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The sound of a gun firing echoed through the hallway, but the bullet never hit.  From the side came Josh, who quickly grabbed Leon and got them both out of the way in time.  Star allowed herself a relieved smile as Ain looked on in confusion.  Star quickly turned a little and kicked him in the chest, causing him to grunt and fall to his knees.  She quickly got up and began to run down one of the hallways, heading away from Josh and Leon.  She knew Ain would follow her.  She couldn't let him find Josh.

Meanwhile, Leon and Josh were slowly getting to their feet.  "Thanks," said Leon as he rubbed the back of his head where a bump was now forming.

"Don't mention it," said Josh.  They were whispering, not wanting Ain to find them.  Josh glanced around the corner and noticed that both Ain and Star were gone.  He cursed under his breath and then turned back to Leon.  He reached to his side and drew out a handgun.  "Here," he said, handing it to Leon.  He then pulled out a handgun for himself.

"What are we going to do?" asked Leon, curious as to what the plan was.

"We're going after him.  I refuse to let him have his way with Star," said Josh, his eyes cold and hard.  "If Ain sees me, he's not allowed out of here alive.  I'm going to really need your help on this."

"Why me?"

"Do you see anyone else here?  Besides, I trust you, Leon.  I know you won't let anything happen to my sister."  And with that said, the two of them began to make their way down the halls, looking for where Ain and Star had gone.

******

Star was running as fast as she could in high heels and a dress.  Her hair had come loose and was now hanging to her shoulders.  She was panting hard as she ran, trying to get as far away as she could.  She knew Ain couldn't find Josh or the mission would be blown.  She had already blown her own cover and she wasn't about to blow this one.  She allowed a small smile to grace her face, however.  Josh had saved Leon.  She had been so scared that Ain would kill him, just like in her dream.  Why she was so afraid of seeing him die was something she didn't understand completely, but she didn't have time to ponder it right now.  She had to get away.  She turned the corner and came upon a long hall.  She sprinted, knowing that she had to get down it before Ain turned that corner.  He'd have a clear shot at her if she didn't get down it quickly.  When she was almost to the corner, she heard a shot ring out, but it didn't hit her.  However, she did stop and turn to see Ain coming down the hallway, his gun poised.  Star quickly ran and turned the corner, heading down a smaller hallway that led into a dark storage room.  There were metal crates everywhere in the room so she quickly ran to a stack of them and hid behind them.  She knew Ain was coming.

"Taki," he said as he entered the room.  "I'm not in the mood to play games."  He didn't sound like it either.  He was completely serious right now.  Star was trying not to pant, but she was out of breath from running.  She was breathing deeply, but doing it quietly so that he wouldn't notice her.

"I know you're in here," he said.  "I watched you come in.  Why don't you come out so we can talk a little?"  She listened as he knocked over a few of the metal crates, sending them crashing to the floor loudly.  Star had to place her hands over her mouth to stifle a surprised yelp.  Luckily, Ain hadn't heard her.

"I won't hurt you, Taki.  I just want to talk," he insisted.  She knew it was a lie.  If she even moved, he'd shoot.  She hadn't been trained for nothing.  He obviously didn't know her.  He knocked over a few more crates, but she didn't jump this time.  Afterwards, it was silent.  Ain no longer called out and she no longer heard his footsteps on the metal floor.  She wasn't sure just what had happened, but she knew it was only a matter of time before he'd find her.  She had to make a break for it.  She decided to move, going around the side of the metal crates, keeping to her knees.  She was crawling quietly, but when she turned the corner of the crates, she came face to face with Ain.

"Hello Taki," he said with a smirk as her eyes widened in fear.

******

A woman's scream echoed down the hallway, bringing both Josh and Leon to a halt.  They were both shocked and a little afraid now.

"He found her," growled out Josh, now full of anger.

"I didn't hear a gun shot," noted Leon.

"I know.  He won't kill her yet. Come on!"  He began to sprint down the hall with Leon following him.  "Ain can be a really sick man sometimes.  He'll torture her before he kills her.  I don't even want to think about what he might do to her."  Leon had a good idea about what Josh meant.  He had gotten a taste of what Ain was like that day in the city.  Leon could feel himself fill with anger at the thought.  Ain had no right to do something like that to a woman, and especially not to Star.  'If he touches her, I'll kill him,' thought Leon, more on reflex than anything.  He was surprised at his own thoughts, but he meant it.  If he found out that Ain did anything to her, he'd kill him personally.

******

Star fell to the cold floor, unconscious.  Ain and slammed her hard into the wall.  He put his gun away and walked over to her.  "You're so beautiful, Taki," he told her, even though he knew she couldn't hear him.  He bent down and touched her soft lips with his finger.  "What I wouldn't give to have a woman as beautiful as you.  It's a shame you'll have to die."  He then heard footsteps coming quickly to the room.  He stood up and watched as Leon came down the hall.  Josh was staying around the corner.  He wasn't allowed to be seen.  "It's you again," said Ain in disgust.  "You're the man from the city, the one who ruined my fun the first time."

"Get away from Star," he told Ain as he held the gun in his hands.

"Do you plan to shoot me?  I take it that unlike this woman, you've never held a gun like that, let alone used one to kill."  Josh cursed to himself as he heard this.  He hadn't known that little fact.  "It's easier said than done," continued Ain.  He took out his own gun quickly and aimed it at the unconscious Star.  Leon's hands tightened on his handgun.

"Unlike you, I've killed many with a gun," said Ain.  "I won't hesitate to kill you or her.  However, it would be a shame to let such innocent beauty go to waste like that.  She really is beautiful, don't you agree?"  Leon said nothing; he only tightened his finger on the trigger.  "Are you going to shoot me?"

"If that's what it takes," answered Leon.  Ain simply laughed and then turned his gun to Leon quickly.

"I think I'll get rid of you first.  Then I can have a little fun," he said, a sick smile coming to his lips.  His finger tightened, slowly pushing the trigger in.

"Leon!  Move!" shouted Josh as he came around the corner.  Leon obeyed and pressed himself against the wall, giving Josh a clear shot.  Ain's eyes widened as he saw Josh.

"It's you," he said just as Josh pulled the trigger on his own gun, sending the bullet right into Ain, who fell back, releasing his gun.  Josh ran to Leon, who was standing near the wall.  Leon handed Josh the gun and then they walked further into the room, going over to Star, who was still unconscious.  Josh looked down to Ain, who was still holding onto his life.

"You…" he whispered to Josh, "why?"

"Because she's my sister," he answered simply.  Ain closed his eyes.

"I understand," he said softly.

"Any last words?" asked Josh, his eyes no longer angry.  In fact, his voice was very soft.

"Yeah.  Tell her not to cry and that I love her."

"I will."  Ain allowed himself to let go, his chest no longer rising or falling.  Josh turned his attention to Star.  Leon was at her side, checking her for any injuries.  "How is she?" asked Josh.

"Other than a hit to her head, she seems fine," answered Leon.  Josh seemed to be lamenting over something.  His eyes showed it more than his expression.  Something began to beep and Josh reached to his side where a radio was.

"Josh?" asked the person on the other end.  It was female.

"It's me," he said back to her.

"Ain went out tonight and he hasn't come back yet.  He said he knew where the traitor was.  Have you seen him?"  Josh clenched his free fist before speaking, his voice pained.

"I'm sorry, but Ain is dead," he answered.  "I just found him.  He was shot by a member of the ZBC.  The traitor got away.  I'm afraid I arrived too late to help him."  It was silent on the other end.

"It's alright," whispered the woman sadly.  "Please, just get back to the base soon."

"I will."  And with that, he shut it off and put it back at his side.

"What's wrong?" asked Leon.  "You did the right thing…didn't you?"

"I hated Ain," said Josh as he turned away slightly.  "But I don't believe that doing the right thing had anything at all to do with this.  If there's one thing I've learned while working this mission, it's that you can't look at everything and come to conclusions like that.  The concepts of right and wrong, good and evil don't mean a thing."  He paused a little and met Leon's questioning eyes.  "Did you know that Ain had a sister?"

"No," answered Leon, a little surprised.

"I know her quite well.  Her name is Maria.  She's a sweet girl, always wearing a smile on her face.  Ain loved her dearly.  The way he acted around her reminded me a lot of how Star and I are.  She really idolized him.  However, I did what I had to do to protect both you and Star, but…"  He turned fully to Leon, his eyes showing his pain.  "Now I have to face her and watch her suffer, knowing that I was the one who caused her pain.  I have to live with it.  Did I do the right thing?  It's all a matter of opinion.  There was nothing else I could do.  To me, it was right, but when I think about facing Maria's pain, I start to wonder if maybe here had been another way.  Perhaps I just didn't see it.  You can't look at the world as things being either right or wrong or evil or good.  You have to look at the consequences.  I've seen the world through their eyes, and to them, we're the ones who have committed the crimes.  It's just two sides to one story."  Josh turned away and began to walk off.  "I have to get back.  I'm trusting you to take care of Star now."

"Alright," said Leon, his voice slightly unstable.  Hearing all of that come out of a high ranking ZBC official was really something.  He honestly hadn't thought about it like that before.  Leon turned his attention to Star, who was still unconscious.  He wasn't sure exactly what to do.  If he took her back like this, they'd get suspicious.  He'd have to wait for her to wake up.  Maybe he would get lucky and Josh would explain what happened, which was exactly what the young man planned on doing.  In a matter of minutes, the ZBC officials, followed by the other members of the Blitz team, ran into the room.  The Blitz team went over to Star and Leon.  "Josh told us what happened," started Leena.

"Is she alright?" asked Naomi.

"She's fine," assured Leon.  "She was hit in the head, that's all."

"That's a relief," sighed Bit.

"Josh didn't tell us much," explained Brad.  "He simply said that the three of you ended up in a fight with Ain."

"We did, but it's over now," said Leon, glancing at Ain's still body.

"Did Josh kill him?" asked Jamie quietly.

"Yeah," answered Leon, his voice holding some lament.  He recalled what Josh had said and couldn't help but feel sorry.  Ain had been the brother of a very sweet young girl.  Leon knew that Star would cry for days if Josh died.  Leon was a brother as well and he loved his little sister and he knew she loved him as well.  She would most likely cry if he died.  When looking at it like that, he almost wished that Ain hadn't been killed.

"We should get going," said Doc.  "It's late and both of you should get some rest.  You've had a long day."  It was at this moment that Star woke up.  She moaned a little and rubbed her aching head.  She sat up slowly and looked around.

"What happened?" she asked.  It all came flooding back to her.  "Where's Ain?"

"He's dead," answered Leon simply.  Star turned to Ain's still body, which was being taken care of by the officials.  She frowned slightly.

"He saw Josh, didn't he," she stated and Leon nodded to her.  "He did what he had to, I understand.  I was hoping that there'd be a way for us all to make it out alive, but it looks like I was wrong."

"What do you mean?" asked Leena, confused.  "Ain tried to kill you."

"I know, but I didn't really want him to die or anything.  I would never wish that kind of thing on anyone, even a man like Ain."  Doc stood up, followed by the other members.  Leon helped Star to her feet.

"It's time to get home," said Doc.  "I'm a little tired."

"I second that," said Bit as he yawned and stretched his arms.  They all began to walk down the halls, back towards the main room.  Leon and Star were walking behind everyone else.

"Are you going to be alright?" asked Leon.

"It was just a hit to the head," she told him.

"I don't mean that.  You've been through a lot tonight."

"I know, but I've seen worse.  I'll be fine.  And Leon?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for coming after me."

"If it hadn't been for Josh, I probably wouldn't have gotten very far."

"I was so afraid," admitted Star.  "I thought Ain was going to kill you…just like in my dream."  Leon glanced down at her, noticing the downcast expression on her face.  He hesitantly reached over and placed his arm around her shoulders, causing her to tense up slightly.  A crimson blush painted her cheeks at the contact.

"It was just a dream, Star," he assured her.  "Nothing will happen."

"But…what if they come after me again?" she asked, the blush still on her face from their proximity.

"They won't.  Ain was the only one who knew about you.  I'm sure there aren't any others.  Don't worry.  We're all here for you if you need us."

"Thanks Leon."

"Don't mention it."

******

They got home around ten that night and everyone was going to go right to sleep.  It had been a long and tiring day.  Star stayed up a little longer, deciding that she was hungry.  They had all wished her goodnight before retiring to their rooms.  She was up for nearly an hour after they had all gone to bed.  She just wasn't tired right now.  She decided to at least try and get some sleep, so she began to head to her room.  She was being cautious.  For some reason, the silence was disturbing her.  'It's too quiet,' she noted silently to herself.  She eventually reached her room and slowly opened the door.  The only light was the light of the double moons that were shining in through her window.  She slowly closed the door behind her, not bothering to look around the room.  Suddenly, something flew by her, hitting the door just an inch from her head.  She was currently facing the door, but she was now frozen from fear.  She glanced at the object in her door.  It was a knife.  She slowly turned around and saw a man standing there, clad in black.  It was too dark to see his face, but she did see as he reached for something at his side.  It was another knife which he quickly whipped out and threw at her.  Star screamed out in pain as the knife pierced her delicate skin.

******

The doors to the rooms of Leena, Leon, Bit, Brad, Jamie, Naomi, and Doc all flew open.  The members of the Blitz team were now standing in the hallway, looking around.  The same sound had woken them all up.

"What's going on?" asked Bit.

"What was that sound?" asked Jamie.

"It sounded like a scream," noted Leena.  They then heard what sounded like a gun being fired.

"Just what is happening?" asked Naomi.

"I'm not sure," answered Brad.

"Calm down," said Doc.  "Let's think about this."

"Hey…" began Leena.  "Where's Star?"  They heard another scream and it was obviously from Star.  Leon was the first one to break away, heading down the hall.  All of them were dressed simply in their nightwear.  They didn't care, though.  It didn't seem to matter right now.  They reached Star's room, which was set a little ways away from the rest of the rooms.  Leon was about to turn the handle when two more shots rang out.  Everyone froze as complete silence followed it.  Leon hesitated before turning the handle and slowly opening the door.  They were all dreading what they might find behind the door.  They saw Star standing there, her back to them.  On the floor in front of her was a man laying face down, a pool of blood forming under him.  Star's body was shaking and they could hear her sobbing softly.  Leena was the first to notice that there was a small pool of blood forming under her, dripping from her chest.

"Star?" asked Naomi softly.  Star slowly turned and they could see that she was clutching a gun in her hands.  They were also able to see what had been done to her.  She had been stabbed in the shoulder, the knife still in it.  Her left leg was cut up and there was a bullet wound in her side and another knife wound on her stomach.  Luckily, she wasn't bleeding heavily.  The bullet wound on her side had simply been a graze shot.  She reached up and pulled the knife from her shoulder, tossing it to the side.  She looked tired and her eyes were wet with tears.  This was too much for her.  She felt her knees begin to buckle and she soon fell to them, now sitting on the floor.  She could have been hurt a lot worse than this and they all knew it.  Star had gotten lucky today.  She had been in two battles and had made it out alive.  Leena went to her, followed by Naomi.  The two women knelt down by her.

"Come on Star," said Leena gently.  "Let's get those wounds cleaned up."

******

It had been two hours later and everyone had finally settled down.  They had called over the ZBC to come and take care of the man that Star had killed.  He had been a Backdraft member, which had been pretty obvious already.  They had checked up on Star, who hadn't said a word to any of them.  It hadn't taken long to clean up her room and she had been sent back to it to get some sleep.  Her injuries hadn't been too severe, so she didn't have to stay in the med room for long.  By now, everyone was sleeping again…well, everyone besides Leon.  Like Star, his room was a little further away as well, but not as far off as hers was.  He was simply lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  A lot had happened recently and he wasn't enjoying any of it.  Star had gotten hurt and he hadn't been able to help her at all.  Josh had asked him to watch out for her and so far he hadn't been doing the greatest job.  However, he wasn't just doing this because Josh asked him to.  He really wanted to protect her.  It was an odd feeling.  He hated the idea of her being hurt and would do everything he could to keep her safe.  This was what he wanted to do.

"Leon?" said a soft and light voice.  He was a little surprised as he was knocked from his thoughts.  He sat up and saw Star standing in his doorway.

"Star?  What are you doing here?  You should be sleeping," he told her gently.

"I can't," she said.  Her expression was monotone and her eyes were filled with fear and worry.  "I don't want to go back there, not now."

"Star, no one else will come after you, I promise," he told her.

"I know, but I just…I can't."  He could tell that she was afraid.  He didn't blame her.  She had been attacked twice.  She no longer felt safe here.  There were members in the Backdraft group who obviously knew where and who she now was.  

"Please Leon," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.  "If it isn't too much trouble…do you think I could stay with you tonight?"  Leon froze at the proposal.  She was asking to stay with him, in his room, sharing his bed.  She seemed a little embarrassed, but she didn't blush like she normally did when things like this happened.

"You…want to stay here?" he asked, making sure he heard right.

"Please.  I don't want to be alone in my room."  Leon looked her over.  He could see the bandages on her arm and her leg.  She was dressed in a pair of pajama shorts and a tight pajama like top that didn't hide her midriff.  He could see the bandages there as well and he began to feel guilty for allowing such a thing to happen to her.  He could understand why she didn't want to go back to her own room.  However, this would put him in a very odd position.  He had never shared his bed with anyone else before and his bed wasn't exactly big.  He looked to her, his eyes questioning.

"Why me?" he asked her.

"I want to feel safe," she told him.  "And I feel that way with you."  Leon nodded to her and then moved over, motioning for her to come in.  She walked over to his bed and sat down, hesitating.  Apparently, this was a little odd to her as well.  She lied down next to him and then turned to face him.  "Thank you Leon," she whispered as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to drift into a peaceful sleep.  Leon reached down and pulled the sheets of his bed over both of them.  He then closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, trying not to think of who was next to him.

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Well?  How was that?  Wasn't it fun?  Actually, it was a little depressing, but I didn't put in a cliffhanger…like I was going to.  I just felt like being nice today.

I will get the next chapter up soon, I promise.  This fic is so much fun to write and somewhere along the line, I forgot that.

I finally found my happy medium of writing, so now I can update everything at decent times without forgetting about a fic.  I feel so good^.^

Anyway, that's all for now^.^

Bye for now^.^


	13. Healing

Happy Holidays!  This is my present to all you people.  I do a major Christmas update every year, so here's my update this year.

I hope you enjoy^.^

Something that I want to clear up is the ages of the characters in this story.

Bit, Leena, Star -18

Brad, Naomi -19

Leon, Josh -20

Jamie -16

Disclaimer:  I don't own Zoids, but I do own Star and her kawaii brother, Josh.

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It was almost a week before Star began sleeping in her own room again, surprisingly, much to Leon's dismay.  He had started to enjoy having her company at night and now his bed felt cold and empty.  However, he couldn't go and ask Star to come back.  That would be…wrong in a few ways.

Star proved her worth in battles, showing the world that she was a good pilot.  Everything began to settle down and the Backdraft hadn't bothered them for a while.

It had now been two weeks since the incident at the party and everyone was celebrating over their newest victory.

"Cheers!" shouted Doc, "to another victory in S class!"

"Cheers!" said everyone else, downing their non-alcoholic beverages.  They were having a party to celebrate their current victories.

"Well Star, I have to hand it to you," began Naomi.  "You can really handle yourself out there."

"Thanks," said Star, a shy smile on her face.

"I've got it!" shouted Doc, startling them all.  "Let's take a vacation tomorrow!"  Everyone broke into cheers.  Doc wasn't the type to offer a vacation.  It usually had to be suggested to him.

"That sounds great Dad!" said Leena happily.  "Where to?"

"How about the beach?" he suggested while taking another drink.  The warriors all smiled.  Even though the Blitz team's last beach vacation had been less than perfect, they all loved the beach.

******

Josh Summers walked down the hallway of the dark Backdraft base he was currently staying at.  It had been two weeks since Ain's death, and the man's sister still hadn't calmed down.  She was heartbroken.  He was currently on his way to see her.  He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he hated seeing her like this.  It was strange.  She was one of the few people he enjoyed being around at this base.  He came to a door and knocked softly.

"Maria?" he called gently.

"Josh?" questioned a soft female voice.  The door opened slowly and a young girl stood there.  She looked around seventeen or so with cherry blonde hair and emerald eyes.  Her hair was short and hung to her chin.  She was a beautiful woman, something Josh, being a guy, hadn't failed to notice.  Her eyes were slightly red, a sign that she had been crying.  He was at a loss for words, but she spoke up before he could.  

"Thank you," she said to him.

"For what?" he asked.

"For caring.  I know you and Ain didn't get along well, but you're the only one who has even tried to comfort me."  He cringed inwardly as fresh tears came to her eyes.  It was hard for him to see her this way for multiple reasons.  She was a kind girl, but also…the fact that he had been the one to kill Ain wasn't making this any easier on him.  She could never know that.  He couldn't tell her.  She was crying now, so he did the only thing he knew of.  He embraced her and held her as she cried.  He owed her this much, if not more.  She had saved his life about two months ago.  It was so clear in his mind…

******

The Blitz team arrived at the empty beach and quickly got out of the hover cargo.  They were all excited about going to the beach.  They were all dressed in their swimsuits.

"Let's play beach volleyball!" suggested Bit as he and Brad set up the net.

"Sounds good," said Naomi.

"Let's do guys against girls!" suggested Leena.

"Not again," said Brad.

"That's what we did last time!" shouted Bit in an annoyed tone.  "And we lost!"

"You have Jamie now," pointed out Leena.  Jamie's face paled.

"Uh…I think I'll let you guys play," he said, backing away.  Volleyball wasn't one of his strong points and he knew how aggressive Leena could be in that game.  He had played her once before and his face began to hurt just thinking about it.  Star said nothing as she walked to the ocean.  The waves hit the shore gently.  It had been a while since she had been able to do something like this.  Working for the ZBC had taken all of her time.  Vacations were like myths in that world.  She could finally take a breather.

"Are you going to play?" asked Leon, coming up next to her.

"I don't think so," she said.  "Being here is enough for me."  Her blue eyes were sparkling like the ocean itself.

"You don't get to do this often, do you?" he asked, more in a statement.

"Vacations are a myth to the ZBC," she said with humor, drawing a small laugh from Leon.  She couldn't help but smile at that.  She was content just standing here, staring at the water that reflected her eyes.  Having Leon there made it all the better.  It was strange how attached she was to him, and she couldn't believe how loyal he was to her.  He was always helping her and he had shared his bed with her for a week.  She would never admit it, but she missed sleeping next to him.  Her bed felt empty now.  Of course, it had surprised her that first morning when she had woken up in his arms.  Apparently, they had moved during the night.  It was strange how instinct had taken over when they were sleeping like that.  They awoke like that each morning.  She blushed at the memory.  She glanced sideways and noticed that he was still there, staring at the ocean.  'Hard to believe he's single,' she thought to herself.  'He doesn't have to be.'  She blushed and stopped looking at him.  'What am I thinking?  Am I implying that I…like him?  And why am I talking to myself?'

"Star, is something wrong?"  Leon's question knocked her from her stupor and she simply looked up to meet his eyes.

"It's nothing," she said with a small smile, praying he didn't notice the blush on her face.  He simply nodded and turned his eyes back to the ocean.  A cry from Bit and a thud drew their attention to the volleyball court.  Bit was face down in the sand, the ball lying a few inches from his head.  He pulled his face out of the sand and began spitting out the soil.

"That's it!" he shouted, sounding slightly annoyed.  "We're playing something else!"  Leon and Star laughed at the look on his face and also at the volleyball imprint on it.  This was going to be interesting.

******

(Flashback)

Josh's eyes opened slowly, focusing in the dimly lit rooms.  Actually, it probably wouldn't have looked so dark if the walls hadn't been painted black.  He was currently on a metal table, his shirt gone.  He couldn't move; his body hurt too much.  He couldn't remember what had happened to him, but the pain pounding in his head and the burning feeling in his chest weren't exactly helping him think.  The door to the room opened, but he didn't turn to see who had entered.  Suddenly, two green eyes were gazing into his, worry etched on their host's young face.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly, concern filling her voice.

"I don't know…" he answered, his voice sounding tired.

"How do you feel?" she asked, but didn't give him a chance to answer.  "Never mind, stupid question, I know.  I mean, you were just shot."

"I was…shot?" asked Josh, sounding confused.

"Don't you remember?" she asked him.  "Do you have amnesia?"

"I don't think so."

"What's my name?"

"Maria," he answered and she sighed in relief.

"Good, you still remember."

"What happened to me?  Why is my chest burning?"

"You were shot twice," she told him, blushing slightly as she recalled what happened.  "By the way, thank you."

"For…what?" he asked her, but it suddenly came to him.  He had been out on the field and had run into a rogue pilot, one who had been causing trouble for the Backdraft.  Josh had been ordered to go with Maria to find the pilot.  They found him, alright.  He had threatened Maria, and being a "gentleman", Josh had taken both bullets that had been meant for her.  He couldn't remember what had possessed him to do so, but he was glad that she was alright.

"You don't have to thank me," he told her.  "It was my job.  I did what I had to do, that's all."

"Still, I really owe you.  Not many would do something like that for me.  I'll find a way to pay you back."

"You've already paid me back," he said, meaning his treated wounds.  "This is your handiwork, no?"  She blushed, but smiled.

"Yes," she answered shyly.  Josh smiled to her, his eyes narrowing.

"Thank you for helping me," he said to her.  She simply blushed more and bowed slightly, her shy smile still in play.

(End Flashback)

That same girl was now sobbing in his arms and he couldn't do much for her.  'I'm so sorry,' he thought.  'I didn't mean to cause you this much pain.  You're the only one here who cares about me enough to save my life like that.  I just wish I could do something for you.'

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her.

"For what?" she asked in a muffled voice.

"I hate seeing you like this.  I hate seeing you in so much pain.  I wish there was something I could do for you.  You're the only one here who really cares about me."

"This is enough, Josh," she told him as she hugged him tightly to her.  "This is enough."  He didn't say anything as he continued to hold her tightly, letting her cry into him.  'I'm still so sorry, Maria.  You don't deserve this.'

******

The Blitz team members sat around a table that had been taken outside so they could watch the setting sun as they ate.  They were having a barbeque.  The food tasted great and they all ate happily.  This day had gone perfectly…perhaps too perfectly.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake and the warriors all stood up, confused.

"What's going on?" asked Jamie.  As if to answer his question, an army of zoids appeared.  They consisted of Demantis, Zaber Fangs, and Warsharks.  There were hundreds of them.

"Just our luck," said Bit angrily.

"Blitz team, where is Taki Summers?" asked one of the pilots.

"We don't know what you're talking about!" shouted Leena angrily.  "We haven't seen her."  These men obviously didn't know that Star was Taki.

"You were the last people she was seen with.  Now tell us where she is."

"We don't know!" shouted Naomi.  "Now leave us alone!"

"If you won't answer us, then we'll have to get the information by force!"  The zoids were preparing to fire upon them.

"Let's hurry," suggested Brad as he began to run for the hover cargo, followed closely by the others.  Star was feeling guilty again.  The Backdraft kept attacking her friends to get to her.

"Star, it isn't your fault," assured Leon, but he wasn't able to calm her down at all.  She still felt guilty.  They quickly got to their zoids as the Backdraft began firing upon them.  The seven zoids burst from the hover cargo and began to break off and attack the enemy.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," began Bit, "but isn't this what happened the last time we went to a beach?"

"It seems luck is never on our side," said Leena.  "We never get a full vacation."

"Vacations are just a myth, right Star?" asked Leon, drawing a smile from the currently serious warrior.  She couldn't suppress the small laugh that rose in her throat.  The fact that he had used her own joke on her was interesting.

"Let's take care of this and get back to the base," suggested Naomi.

"I second that," said Leena as she let loose a barrage of bullets.  They were all going at it as Star dealt with things from above.  Jamie was currently dealing with some Demantis.  The Warsharks were left for her, since they were firing from the ocean.  She knew she was risking it, but she flew over the vast body of water and fired at the fish like zoids.  She managed to take out quite a few of them.

Star, how are you? asked Storm.

"I'm just fine," she answered as she shot down another Warshark.

This is a little dangerous, isn't it?

"I know, but we need to take care of them."

Just don't get shot down.  I wasn't made for underwater assaults.

"I know, don't worry.  I'll try to be careful."  She spun out of the way of a missile and then returned the attack full force.  However, two more Warsharks lined her up and fired, hitting her left wing.  Star cringed as she felt Storm shake from the impact.

Star, we need to get back to the shore.

"I know," said Star as she tried to keep the controls steady.  She had to make it back before they crashed into the water.  More missiles were shot off at her and she couldn't maneuver in time.  They hit Storm's other wing and now they were plummeting to the ocean below.

"Star, pull up!" shouted Jamie as his Raynos blasted away at the Demantis.

"Star!" shouted Leena.

"I'm trying!" shouted Star as she pulled hard on her controls, but to no avail.  She hit the ocean.

"Star!" shouted Leon as he got his Blade Liger over to the shore.  The Midnight Storm disappeared completely under the water.

In her zoid, Star was still struggling with the controls.

"Move, come on!" she begged.

I'm sorry, Star.

"It's not your fault.  It's always the pilot's fault.  I should have moved faster."  She looked over the flashing monitors.  "So much was damaged…even the boosters…"

It'll be alright, Star.  We'll get through this.

"I only have two minutes," said Star sadly.  "Like you said, you weren't built for underwater combat."

…Leave, Star.

"What?" asked Star, her voice holding her shock.

Leave.

"You want me to abandon you?"

Yes.  I can always be saved, but you will suffocate down here.  Leave.

"I'd never make it."

Try.

"But I…I can't…"

You can, Star.  I believe in you.  Take a deep breath and then open the cockpit.  It's the only chance you have.

"…Alright," she said quietly.  She moved her hand hesitantly over to button that would open her cockpit.  "See you later, Storm.  I will come back for you."

I know.  Star took a deep breath and hit the button, the cockpit opening.  The first thing she noticed was how cold the water felt and the pain searing through her head from the rush and the depth she was at.  She quickly began to swim up.  She already knew she wouldn't make it.  It was so far away, but she kept trying.  She wouldn't give up, not yet.  She had to get to the top.  She was a strong swimmer, but she couldn't hold her breath forever.  She felt her lungs burn at their need for oxygen.  Her whole body soon felt like it was on fire from the lack of air.  She wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer.  Her muscles ached and her chest burned.  She couldn't keep this up.  She felt herself slipping into unconsciousness.  She had been so close.  It wasn't fair.  Unable to hold her breath any longer, she tried to inhale, but water quickly filled her lungs. It hurt so much.  Suddenly, she was grabbed onto, two arms encircling her waist.  She was pulled the rest of the way and she broke through the surface, instantly coughing up the water she had inhaled.  She desperately clung to the person holding her, coughing up water and filling her lungs with the crisp night air.

"It's alright," said a soothing voice, one she instantly recognized.  She was in Leon's arms now, still in the water.  She was trying to calm her trembling body as he rubbed her back gently, trying to comfort her.  The zoids had all been destroyed and everyone stood on the shore, waiting.  Finally, Star calmed down enough to look up at Leon.

"Are you okay?" he asked her softly.  She nodded and then hugged him tightly.  She had been so scared.  But she was alright now.  As long as he was there, she was alright.  It was a feeling she didn't understand, but she didn't care right now.  She just wanted to stay in his arms forever as he held them both above the water.  In reality, Leon had been scared to death.  Star had nearly died.  If he hadn't come at the right time, she wouldn't have been able to make it.  He held her tightly, never wanting to let go.  He didn't want to lose her, not now, not ever.

"Thank you, Leon," she said softly.

"No problem," he told her in the same tone.  "I'm just glad you're alright."

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Poor Star.  Lot's of bad things tend to happen to her, don't they.

Well, I think the next chapter will by one of my favorites to write, and in order to find out why, you'll have to stick around.

Again, happy holidays!

Bye!


	14. Dilemma

Gomen, Gomen, Gomen!  I'm so soooooo sorry!  I've been busy with my original fiction, and I've neglecting you guys.  I didn't mean to, honestly.  It hit me just the other day that I hadn't written since Christmas.  I feel bad about that.  Please forgive me!

Disclaimer:  There is no point in even writing this little thing, cause you know what I'm gonna say.  I do NOT own zoids, but I do own Star and Josh, both of which I will happily claim.

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It was now two weeks after their beach vacation, and everything was going well.  There hadn't been any Backdraft attacks or anything.  Their scheduled battles went well, and they were almost never bored.  There was always something to do, even if it was just thinking.  And that was exactly what Leon was doing.  He was currently lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.  A certain blue eyed warrior was on him mind, and her name was Star.  He couldn't deny the fact that he thought about her constantly, and it was beginning to stress him out.

He sat up and decided to go to the hanger.  Working on his zoid always helped him sort things out.  He headed down the hall and to the hanger, slowly opening the door.  He only walked in a little ways before he saw Star sitting against the wall.  She was laughing about something.  He walked over to her, putting on a smile.

"What's so funny?" he asked, startling her slightly.  He turned to him, a smile on her face.

"Nothing really," she said cheerfully.  "I was just talking to your zoid."

"My zoid?"

"Yeah.  Every zoid has a story to tell, and some of them are pretty interesting."  Leon turned his attention to his zoid.

"What did he say about me?" he asked Star.

"Don't worry, it was nothing bad.  He had nothing but good things to say about you."  Leon turned back to Star as she began to get up.  "I think I'll go get something to eat.  I skipped lunch today."  She began to head off, leaving Leon alone in the hanger.

******

Star walked into her room, going to her bed.  She wanted to lie down for a while.  She recalled her conversation with Leon's blade Liger.  It had been fun to talk about his pilot.  Star wasn't sure why she was so interested in Leon.  She wanted to know more about him, to get to know him better.  She liked being around him, but this was all so new to her.  She needed to figure out what it was she felt.

She decided to get some rest first.  She'd ask someone about her problem later.  Right now, sleep was needed.  She closed her eyes and drifted off.

******

The day was going by slowly, and it was already mid afternoon.  Nothing exciting was happening.  Everyone was either in their own rooms or in the hanger.  Currently, Leena was sitting in the kitchen, eating a cookie and drinking milk.  A magazine sat in front of her, which she skimmed through as she ate.  Star soon entered the kitchen, drawing Leena's attention.

"Hey Star," she said cheerfully.  Star didn't say anything.  She appeared to be deep in thought.  "Is something wrong?"

"Leena, can I talk to you about something?" she asked, seeming shy about it.

"Sure, pull up a chair."  Star nodded and did as she was told.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Well…it's actually more like a question."

"Then ask away."  Star fumbled with her fingers nervously.

"Well, I…let's see…how should I word this?"  She shook her head, starting over.  "Look, you like Bit, right?"  Leena nearly spit out her milk at the question.

"What?" she yelled.  "What kind of question is that?  Where is this conversation going?"

"You do, don't you?"  Star honestly wanted an answer, and Leena was afraid of giving one.  Should she tell the truth?  She knew she was blushing, since the room was beginning to feel incredibly warm.

"W-well…I…" she began, trying to get her answer out.  What was Star getting at?  If she was going to ask Leena an embarrassing question, than why had she seemed so nervous?  Suddenly, it hit her.  The answer was blaringly obvious.  This wasn't about her at all, this was about Star.  Leena smiled.  She could give her answer now.

"What if I do?" she said, avoiding an honest or dishonest answer.

"I was…just wondering, because I…I don't know what…"

"Star, do you like Leon?"  Star blushed a deep shade of red and hung her head, avoiding Leena's eyes.  She hadn't thought that Leena would be so direct, but then again…she should have been prepared for it.

"I-I don't…I don't know.  That's why I wanted to talk to you," she explained.

"This is something you have to decide for yourself.  How do you feel about him?"

"I don't know," she said, resting her head on the table.  "I like being around him, and I miss waking up next to him, and…"

"Whoa, hold on a second," said Leena.  "Are you saying that you…shared a bed with him?"

"Only for a week," she said, raising her head.

"A week?  So does that mean that you two…you…"  Star blushed about five shades of red and sunk down in her chair.

"Of course not!" she shouted, embarrassed.  "I would never!"  Leena sighed in relief.

"Okay then, continue," she said, a smile on her face.

"I don't think I can now."  She was still trying to calm herself down from Leena's insinuation.

"Look, how about I tell you what I think?"  Star nodded, seeing as how she couldn't continue right now.  "Okay, I think the two of you look great together, and I also think that Leon likes you, and I think you like him.  How about that?"

"You…you really think that…he likes me?"

"Yeah, of course."  Star smiled to herself and stood up.

"Thanks Leena."

"No problem."

******

Bit was currently in the hanger, working on his zoid.  He was alone until Leon came in.  He looked up at the blonde pilot and smiled.  This was just the person he wanted to talk to, despite how odd that may have seemed.

"Hey Bit," he called out to the pilot.  Bit stopped what he was doing and looked down at Leon.

"Hey," he called back.  "Did you come to work on you zoid?"

"No.  Actually, I wanted to ask you about something."  Bit jumped from the platform and landed in front of Leon.

"What is it?"

"You like my sister, right?"  Bit looked like he had just been shot.  He nearly fell over from the question.  That had been the last question he had wanted to get asked.  He put on a proud face and turned away.

"Maybe," he answered.  "Why do you want to know?"

"No reason," answered Leon, turning away a little.  His voice gave away that there was a reason.  "But could you please give me an answer?"

"Where is this conversation going exactly?"

"I was…just curious."  Bit smirked when he caught hold of what Leon wanted.  This was his chance to put Leena's plan into action.

"I do," answered Bit.  Leon smiled at his answer.

"I thought so," he said.  "You didn't do that great of a job at hiding it."

"Oh, and like you're so great at hiding things," retorted Bit.  "It's obvious that you like Star."  Now it was Leon's turn to freeze.  He wore an expression similar to the one he had on when had he walked in on Star's shower.

"W-what do you mean?" he asked.

"You like Star, it's obvious.  Just admit it.  I admitted that I like Leena."

"Well…"

"Say it!"

"What's going on here?" asked Brad as he walked into the hanger.

"Leon likes Star," proclaimed Bit, earning him a glare from Leon.

"Is that so?"  Brad walked over to join Bit in his interrogation.  "If you do, then why don't you tell her?"

"He's afraid," stated Bit.  It was as if they were trying to get him angry, and they were succeeding.

"I'm not afraid," he stated.

"Then tell her," said Bit.

"I will…but not right now."  He turned and walked away, tired of being asked questions.  Bit and Brad just smirked.  Leena and Naomi would have a field day with this.

******

It was night now, but it wasn't very late.  Everyone was unwinding, starting to let the day fade away from them.  Leon was in his room, still thinking about his conversation with Bit and Brad.  Did he really like Star?  Hadn't that been the reason he had gone to talk to Bit?  He hadn't accomplished anything, really.  He had gotten Bit to admit that he liked Leena, but he wouldn't use it against the blonde.  He wasn't into blackmailing.

Finally, Leon stood up, decided to wander for a while.  He walked down the halls and eventually ended up in the hanger.  The hanger doors were open, leading out into the vast desert.

Star stood there, staring at the desert sky, which was clear and lit with stars.  The double moons hung in the sky, shining a soft green color.  It was beautiful, and she had never taken it into consideration before.  She never had time to do things like this.  Stargazing had always been fun, though.

"Hey," said a soft voice from behind her.  She turned and saw Leon coming towards her.  He left the hanger and came to stand by her on the desert sands.  "What are you doing?"

"Nothing really, just watching the stars," she explained.  "I don't get to all that often."

"Because of your job?"  She just lowered her head slightly.

"Because it makes me feel…alone," she whispered, drawing his complete attention.  "I remember doing this with my mom and dad when I was younger.  I don't have either of them now, and I don't get to see Josh enough to really spend time with him."  There were tears brimming in her eyes, but she just put on a smile and wiped them away.  "I'm sorry.  I didn't mean to be so depressing.  I just…"

"It's alright," he assured her.  "You don't need to apologize.  It's better to let things out than keep them inside."  Star just smiled and continued to stare at the stars.

From inside the hanger, two pilots were watching the scene before them.

"Come on," said Leena, making sure to keep her voice down.  "Make a move, do something."

"Calm down," said Bit.  "What are you talking about anyway?"

"Star came to me and asked me…something."

"What was it?"  Leena bit her lower lip.  She couldn't tell him the truth, but she couldn't think of anything else.  She sighed and decided to get it over with.

"She asked me if I liked you," she answered, a blush on her face.  Bit seemed a little surprised.

"Wow…Leon basically asked me the same thing."  It was silent for a while until both turned and asked "what did you say?"  They then blushed and turned away.  Bit eventually sighed, realizing that Leena wasn't going to say anything before he did.

"Leena," he began.  "I told Leon that…I like you."  He inhaled sharply, afraid of her reaction.  She turned to him, shocked.

"You did?"  He nodded, and she smiled.

"I feel the same way, Bit," she told him softly.  He turned to her, slightly surprised.  They both smiled before turning their attention back to Leon and Star.  Bit's arm came around her shoulders, and she didn't protest as he pulled her closer.

Out in the desert, Leon was debating with himself.  He wanted to tell Star how he felt, but he was afraid.  He glanced down at her up cast face.  She was beautiful.  He wanted to tell her that too.  He decided to start slow and brought his arm around her shoulders.  She tensed slightly, startled at the contact, but she didn't pull away.  Instead, she leaned into him.  Leon just smiled and turned his attention to the vast desert.

Unknown to any of them, in the distance behind a sand dune were two men.  Actually, they weren't that far away from where Leon and Star were.

"Do you have it?" asked one of the men.

"Right here," answered the other as he held up a sniper rifle.

"How many shots?"

"Just two."

"Then don't mess up."

Back in the hanger, Bit and Leena were still watching Star and Leon.  However, Bit caught a glimpse of something shining in the distance.  He narrowed his eyes, trying to focus solely on that.  The object was slowly coming into view.

"Is that…?" he whispered, trying to decipher what he saw.

"What?" asked Leena, turning to Bit.

"Something…or someone is out there."  His eyes soon widened as he saw what it was.  "It can't be…"

Bit wasn't the only person who had noticed something.  Leon was looking in the direction of a glint he had seen.  He was looking for it to flash again in the dark, but he couldn't see it.  Suddenly, it came again.  He released Star and stepped away, focusing on the thing he saw.

"Leon?" questioned Star, turning to him.  However, he said nothing as he saw what it was.  There was a man behind a sand dune.  In his hands was a gun.  He was aiming it right at Star, slowly pulling the trigger.

"Look out!" shouted Bit from the hanger, but his warning came too late.  Star noticed the man just as he pulled the trigger.  However, her vision was soon blocked as Leon moved in front of her.  Her heart stopped, her eyes widening.  The bullet bore deep into Leon's chest.  His eyes widened from the pain, and he was unable to cry out.  He began to fall back.  Star caught his shoulders, but she was forced to the ground.

"Leon!" she shouted, but he didn't respond at all.  "Leon?  Leon!"

From inside the hanger, Bit and Leena were staring, their eyes wide.

"Leon!" shouted Leena as she began to run towards her brother and Star.

"Leena, wait!" shouted Bit as he caught her wrist.

"Let me go, Bit!"  The blonde pilot didn't comply.  He turned his attention to Star.

"Star, be careful!" he shouted.  "That man is reloading his gun!"  Bit's warning got her attention, and she turned to see the man reposition his gun.  There wasn't time to do anything.  Her eyes widened in disbelief.  She was going to die.  She looked down at Leon and carefully lifted his upper body in her arms.  She hugged him to her, not caring that her clothing would be stained with blood.  'I'm so sorry Leon.  This wasn't supposed to happen.'  She hugged him tighter.  'I don't want to die yet.  I want to keep living.  I want you to live, Leon.  Please, don't give up.  Storm, help me, please…please…'  Just as the gun fired, one last thought echoed through her mind.  'I don't want to die!'  Leena and Bit closed their eyes, not wanting to watch, but a bright light soon shook them from their fear.  The bullet was frozen in mid air, pushing against a shield…the same kind of shield a zoid used.

"Impossible…" whispered the sniper as he lowered his gun.

"Let's get out of here.  We'll finish this later.  The boss will want to know what happened."  The two snipers ran off, leaving everything else to unfold on its own.

"What…is that?" asked Leena, her eyes on Star.  The shield soon fell, dropping the bullet to the ground.  There wasn't time to ask about what she had done, because she fell to the ground, unconscious.  There was only one thought on her mind as she drifted completely way into the darkness.  'Please stay alive…Leon.'

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And I will leave it there.  Mean of me, ne?  I don't update in forever, and then I leave you at a cliffhanger.

Gomen again.  I really am quite sorry.

I hope this makes up for not updating in two months.

Until the next time, ja ne!


	15. Recovery

So sorry for leaving it at a cliffhanger and then not updating for a month…but in case you didn't know, over my band trip (April 1-April 4), I broke my right index finger.  I tell ya, I never paid attention to how much I used that finger until I broke it.  I'm currently substituting my middle finger for all the keys it types, and all it's done is lower my gwam by a few points…and I make a lot more mistakes now.

But this sucks.  I've been slightly depressed lately, since I missed out on so much.  I can't play the piano, and I can't play in band (I play the flute).  I missed the solo and ensemble contest, which I had practiced for for about three months.  And now I can't go to work either!  It's just not fair!

Anyway, from now on, I'm going to try to update more.  During the summer, I'll have more time to write, and summer will be in about two months.  Oh man…it's scary just thinking about it.  Time goes by too fast for my liking.

Anyway, if any of you have the time, please check out my two original stories at fictionpress.  I've worked really hard on both of them.

Disclaimer:  I don't own zoids.  Nope, don't own 'em.  I do own Star and Josh, though.

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Star's eyes slowly opened, revealing nothing but distorted figures in the shade of white.  There were bright lights in the room, causing her to lift an arm in order to shield her sensitive blue eyes.  As her vision focused, she could see that she was in a white room, apparently a medical room.  However, it wasn't like the ones in the Blitz team's base.  This reminded her more of the ZBC.

"Where am I?" she asked as she sat up, looking around.  She couldn't remember anything.  What had happened?  How had she gotten here?  Where was her team?

The door to the room opened.  She turned to it, her eyes looking slightly bewildered.  In the doorway stood Josh, Bit, and Leena.

"Star!" exclaimed Josh as he ran to his sister's bedside.  He knelt down so that he could look up at her better.  "How are you, do you feel better?"

"I don't…know," she responded.  "Where…am I?"

"You're in one of the medical rooms at the ZBC," explained Bit.  He was standing with his arm around Leena, who looked a little shaken up.  There were tear stains present on her cheeks.

"The ZBC?" Star questioned.  "Why?"  She looked at all of them, confusion on her soft face.  "Why am I here?"

"Star…don't you remember…what happened?" asked Josh.

"I…I can't…remember anything."  She placed her head in her hands as it began to hurt.  "I…I was…with Leon.  Then I saw a man with a gun, and before I knew it, he…he shot at me, but…"  Her eyes widened in horror as she remembered the rest of the event.  She snapped her attention to her three guests.

"Star?" questioned Bit.

"Where is he?" she asked, sounding panicked.  "Tell me, where's Leon?  What happened to him?"  Everyone lowered their heads, avoiding her questioning eyes.

"Star…he…" began Bit.

******

Star ran down the hall, dressed only in a pair of pants and her hospital gown.  She was panting, her eyes wild and full of fear.  Bit's words began to echo in her mind as she kept her eyes focused.  _Star…he was shot near the heart.  We had to rush him to intensive care.  He's lost a lot of blood, and the doctors aren't sure…if he'll last through the night._

Star reached the intensive care section of the ZBC base's medical area.  She ran and peered into each room, but she couldn't find Leon.  She soon came to a large room with a huge glass window along the wall.  Leon was inside, lying on a bed.  Star threw the door open and ran into the room.  She went over to Leon and fell to her knees next to his bed.  He looked horrible.  His chest had been bandaged recently, and he was hooked to many different machines.  There was a respirator, a heart monitor, an IV, and a few others she didn't know of.

"Oh God…" she whispered as tears began to flood to her eyes.  "Leon…"  She buried her face in the sheets of his bed and started to cry.  Her small body trembled with each sob.  Her knuckles were turning white as she held tightly to the sheets of the bed.  

"I'm so sorry…Leon…"

******

"It's sad," began John as he watched Star through the glass window.  The Blitz team, along with Josh, stood there as well, their eyes all on Star.

"Tell me," began Doctor Toros, the worry present in his voice.  "Is there a chance that Leon will pull through?"  John turned his attention to the floor.

"There is a chance, but it's slim," he said as he turned to them.  "The bullet wound was deep, and any further over, it would have pierced his heart.  He has lost a lot of blood…explain to me again: how did this happen?"

"There were snipers in the desert, and they shot at Star.  Leon took the first bullet," explained Bit.

"What about the second?" questioned John.

"She blocked it," began Leena, "using a shield."

"A shield?"

"Like the kind a zoid uses," answered Bit.  "It was amazing.  I didn't think that was possible."  John hung his head as he looked back to his prized agent, now weeping on a hospital bed.

"I suppose it's time that we explained what's going on," he told them, drawing Josh's interest.  John turned to the boy.  "Tell them.  I want this explained thoroughly.  Tell them about Star, about her power, and tell them what the Backdraft has to do with it."  Josh nodded and looked to the members of the Blitz team.  The six of them looked interested, just waiting to hear what he had to say.

"Star has the ability to communicate with zoids…as well as the ability to control them with her mind," he explained.  "She can fix a system freeze simply by willing it.  Any zoid, ultimate X or not, can be controlled by her.  The shield she used came from Storm, but Star indeed produced it on her own.  If she's connected with a zoid like she is with Storm, she can borrow abilities."

"How?" asked Jamie.  "None of that should be possible."

"You're right," stated Josh, lowering his head.  "It shouldn't.  Somehow, when Star was born, her mind was altered slightly.  She's able to transfer her emotions into people.  It's a strange ability."

"Why exactly is the Backdraft out to kill her then?" asked Naomi.

"Some members of the Backdraft want her dead because she's a traitor," explained Josh.  "My faction, however, wants her alive."

"Because of her power?" asked Brad.

"Yes.  Such an ability, when enhanced, can be used on not only zoids, but people.  An emotion like fear or hate can be transmitted from Star into another person.  She's often not aware of it."  Josh's expression fell greatly as he lowered his head further.  "It isn't fair."

"What isn't?" asked Leena.

"This ability has caused her a lot of pain.  If she's connected to a zoid or a person, she can feel what they feel, including pain.  She's told me before that it's a horrible experience."  The door to the medical room opened, and Star walked out, her head low.  She turned to Josh, who gently placed a hand on her shoulder.  She threw herself into his arms and buried her face in his shirt.  She was still sobbing softly.

"It's alright," he comforted, holding her gently.

"He can't die," she whispered, her voice muffled.  "He just can't."

"Star…"

"No.  It should have been me.  It isn't fair.  It hurts so much…"  Her voice was very weak.  After a few more sobs, her legs gave out, and she slumped against Josh.

"Star?" he questioned.  There was no response.  This was just too much for her.  She was physically and emotionally drained.  A decent rest was all she needed, but she'd probably wake up within an hour.  She was never good at sleeping.

Josh carefully picked his sister up and began to walk back to the other area of the medical bay.

******

The members of the Blitz team, along with Josh, were sitting in a waiting room, having nothing to do and nowhere else to go.  It had been a day since Star had woken up.  Leon had made it through the night, but his condition wasn't improving.

"What now?" asked Jamie, drawing everyone's attention.

"What do you mean?" asked Doc.

"Where do we go from here?  I mean, the Backdraft obviously knows who Star is now, and they also seem to know that she's at our base.  We can't keep hiding her there, or more of them will come.  She's no longer safe with us."

"I disagree," said Josh as he stood up from his seat.  "I think she's safer with you guys than she is anywhere else.  She doesn't need to be kept in a room made of indestructible steel or anything.  All she needs is a couple of friends who are willing to stand by her, to fight with and for her.  I see that in all of you, and I'm sure she does as well."  Before any of them could respond, the radio at Josh's side went off.  He took it off its hook on his belt and pressed a button.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Josh," said Maria, her voice panicked.  "We're under attack.  Get back to the base immediately."

"What do you mean?  Who's attacking?"

"I don't have time to explain!  Please hurry!  I don't know if we can…"  She never finished.  The line went dead on the other end.

"Maria!  Maria, answer me!"  There was no response.  He cursed under his breath and turned away.  "I have to get going," he stated.

"Josh?" questioned Bit.

"What?"

"Who was that?"

"A girl who works under the Backdraft…Ain's sister."

"Ain's…sister?" questioned Leena.

"Tell Star I had to leave, but I _will_ come back, I promise."

"Alright," said Naomi.  Josh ran down the hall, disappearing around the corner.  _Hang on Maria.  I won't let anything happen to you, I promise._

******

It had been a full week since Leon had been shot, and he still wasn't awake.  Also, Josh had yet to return or to even contact the base.  No one had heard from him at all.

Star spent all her time by Leon's bedside, waiting for him to wake up.  She only left when she was told to or to eat.  She often fell asleep in the chair at his bedside, and would wake up in her room, only to return there seconds later.

Currently, she was asleep, kneeling on the floor, her head and arms resting on the bed.  She was holding onto his hand.  Suddenly, Leon's hand twitched.  A groan came from him as his eyes tightened, but they soon released and opened.  His vision was very blurred.  He blinked a few times in order to focus.  Eventually, everything came into view.  He tried to move his head around, but his neck was stiff for some reason.  In fact, his whole body felt stiff.  He just lied there for a while, looking up at the ceiling.

After a few minutes, he decided to try again.  Luckily no pain came to him.  He turned his head to the side and noticed that someone was there.  A small smile crossed his face when he saw Star at his side.  She was asleep, her golden orange hair lying gently across her face and arms.  She looked peaceful when she was asleep.

Leon tried to move his arm next, but instantly noticed that Star was holding onto his hand.  He decided to give up on that for now.  Instead, he tried to sit up, but pain quickly shot through him.  He was forced back onto the bed, inhaling deeply.  After a while, he tried again, and managed to make it halfway before having to lie back down.  He just lied there for a few more minutes.  He decided to try once more.  This time, he managed to sit up.  He used his free hand to steady himself.  He placed it over his chest, feeling the bandages.  How had this happened again?  It all came back as he looked to Star.  He had saved her life, but exactly what had happened?  He remembered a gun shot.  He then remembered the pain that had followed the crack of the gun.  He had been shot.

A soft moan from Star caught his attention.  She was starting to stir.  He watched as her eyes slowly opened.  She blinked a few times before slowly lifting her head.

"Good morning," greeted Leon softly, guessing at the time of day.  Star's head snapped up, her eyes wide.  Leon smiled at her surprised and relieved expression.

"Leon…" she whispered as a smile began to spread to her face.  She fought back the urge to hug him, knowing that she might hurt him by doing so.  She stood up, tears filling her eyes.  "Thank God…I was so worried."  Leon looked up at her, slightly confused.  She soon sat down next to him, still wishing she could hug him.  They sat in silence for a while, neither one knowing quite what to say.  Leon looked to Star and noticed that she was still crying.  She looked like there was something on her mind.

"Star, what's wrong?" he asked.

"…Why?" she questioned softly.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it?  Why did you take that hit?"  She was yelling now, sounding slightly angry, but worry was definitely dominant in her voice.

"I didn't want you to die," he told her.

"What makes you think I would have died?  I've been shot before, Leon."

"Star…that bullet…"  He raised his arm and pointed to his chest, right where it had hit him.  "It hit me here.  If I hadn't stepped in front of you…"  He moved his hand and placed his index finger against her neck.  "It would have hit you here.  You would have died, Star."  Her eyes widened slightly.  Considering their height difference, his calculation was accurate.  It would have pierced her throat, and she would have died before the ZBC could do anything about it.

"Thank you," she told him genuinely, still slightly bewildered at the reality of the situation.  However, the tears wouldn't stop pouring from her eyes.

"Why are you still crying?" he asked her, confused.

"I was just…I was scared.  I wasn't sure if you were going to wake up or not, and I…I didn't want you to…die.  I was just so afraid."  Leon placed his hands on her shoulders, but he wasn't able to draw her attention.  Without her knowing, he moved closer to her, slowly leaning in towards her.

"Star?" he questioned softly, trying to get her attention.  She raised her head, her eyes widening at how close their faces were.  Leon didn't seem to plan on stopping, and Star didn't know what to do.  He was descending on her gently, their faces almost touching.  His lips soon captured hers in a chaste kiss.  Her eyes were wide, a single tear sliding down her cheek, followed by no more.  She wasn't responding at all, mainly because she was in shock.  The feeling was new to her.  Before she knew it, he pulled away, and she just stared at him, a blush painting her cheeks a soft pink.

"I love you, Star," he said, seeming a little nervous about the statement.  Star's eyes widened a little more, her heart beginning to beat faster.  Had she heard right?  Had Leon said that he loved her?  "I'll never let anything happen to you.  You have my word."  A smile spread across her face as a few more tears fell from her eyes.  She couldn't believe it.  Leon loved her.  He actually loved her.  She wanted to tell him how she felt, but the words wouldn't form.  She noticed that his hands were still on her shoulders.

"Leon, I…"  She couldn't tell him.  She wanted to show him.  She leaned towards him, and he got the idea.  He bent down a little and kissed her again, and this time she responded.  She kissed him passionately, wrapping her arms around his neck, wanting to get her point across.  She loved him.  She loved him more than anything.  His hand came off her shoulder to cup the side of her face, gently brushing through part of her soft hair.

After awhile, they broke the kiss.

"I love you," whispered Star.  Leon just pressed his forehead to hers, a smile on his face.

"I know," he said softly.  A click came from the door, and they pulled away from each other.  The door opened, and in walked Bit and Leena, followed by the others, minus Jamie.  Leena's eyes filled with joy as she saw her brother alive and doing well.

"Leon," she said happily.  "I'm glad you're alright."  He just smiled brightly at them all.  However, the moment was ruined as Jamie ran into the room, panting.  He had a bewildered expression upon his young face.

"Jamie?" questioned Bit.

"What is it?" asked Brad.  Jamie's eyes went to Star.

"We just got word from Josh," he said in between pants.  "His cover's been blown."

*********************************************************************************************************************

I think I'll leave it here for now^.^  That was fun, ne?  I hope you're all happy now.  I put in a nice moment…and now it'll all go downhill.  Things are gonna start heating up.  I think the next chapter will explain what happened to Josh.

Anyway, I'll write more as soon as I can.

Until then, see ya!


	16. One Small Mistake

Haha…well…if any of you are still reading this, then you're probably used to me saying this by now. I'm so sorry. I know it's been about four months, probably longer, but I really am sorry. I didn't mean for my story to take this long. I wanted to finish it in three, but four is good. You see, it's not that I haven't been writing, I just have been writing original fiction. I just finished my second story. It's 326 pages, 36 chapters longs. I'm very proud of myself, I'll have you know. Anyway though, I suppose I should continue this story now. I'll try not to leaves such a huge gap between chapters next time, okay? Again, I'm sorry for the wait…if any of you are still reading that is…

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids. Happy now?

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Star's face turned a ghostly white as those words escaped from Jamie's lips. She leapt off the bed and ran right up to him, getting right in his face.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did he say? What happened to Josh?"

"I don't know," Jamie answered softly. "His last transmission told us that he had been discovered. Then the line went dead. That's all." Star's eyes widened as she slowly backed away from all of them. This couldn't be happening. After things were just going her way, everything had to once again come crashing down. Why couldn't reality be kind, just this once? Why couldn't she just have a normal life? Why did these things always happen to her?

Without a word, Star bolted from the room, heading down the hallway. She wasn't sure where she was going or what she'd do when she got there, but she knew that she didn't want to be here. She needed a bit of time to think this through. She needed to be alone right now. There was a lot weighing down on her mind.

-----------

There wasn't a single light to brighten up the dark and damp prison center of the Backdraft's base. The shadows on the walls were unable to dance around the cells, seeing as how there wasn't even a fire light to let them. They blocked everything, keeping the eyesight of the prisoners limited. However, there was only one prisoner. Only one person was a captive of these dark walls and still shadows. His eyes wandered the room constantly, and he prayed that they would focus even just a little more. He couldn't really see anything.

How had this all gotten so complicated anyway? Just what was going on? How had the Backdraft gotten this much power? When had their motives suddenly changed? Before, all they cared about was betting and spicing up zoid battles. Altile, however, had had other plans. He preferred the heightened danger as well, and if a few men were sacrificed in order to please a crowd, he was fine. It mattered not to him. However, not even he was this low. Perhaps after their defeat during the tournament last year, when Vega lost to Bit cloud, they came under new management. Perhaps their motives had changed then. Maybe world domination was too tempting. It would be easy to do, after all, with a force as large as the Backdraft. All someone needed were a bunch of decent pilots and zoids to back up the ideas, and there you had it. It was now large enough a force to rival the ZBC. That's where his job came in. He was supposed to keep the ZBC a step ahead of the Backdraft. It was kind of hard when you were in prison though.

Josh sighed and ran a hand through his brown hair. His dark eyes glanced around the room once more before he slumped against the corner and hung his head.

"Just how did I get into this mess in the first place?" he questioned, trying to recall how this had happened to him. He had always been so careful. He was cursing both the Backdraft and the ZBC right now. Both had equally screwed him over. Then again, in the end, it was his fault. His own sentiments had gotten in the way. He was a spy for heaven's sake. He basically gave himself away with his antics during their last battle. _I guess that's what I get for getting attached to too many people._

"What now?" he asked the barren walls of his dark dreary prison cell. His mind couldn't help but wander through the past battle, the one that had ended his career. He had made the ultimate mistake of a spy…he had gotten far too attached to too many people…from both sides.

-------

Josh ran into the hanger of the Backdraft base, doing his best to ignore the explosions from outside. After all, the last thing he needed was to get distracted. This would be hard enough the way it was. The ZBC was attacking, and as a member of the Backdraft, he was inclined to fight them off. It wasn't fair though. For all he knew, these people could be friends of his. The job came first, however, so he couldn't back out. If worst came to worst, he could always get taken out on purpose and then sit it out the rest of the battle. That way he wouldn't have to be involved. After all, the side he wanted to see win was the one he had to prevent from doing so.

All these thoughts were quickly erased, however, when he saw Maria in her modified Rev Raptor. One of its arms was missing, and the left leg was badly damaged. The system wasn't frozen, at least, but her raptor was in no way battle ready. She would be killed if she stayed out there for much longer.

Josh quickly got into his Zoid, a stolen Blade Liger that the Backdraft had "liberated" from a rather rich collector. It was perfect for the things he wanted it to do, and right now he wanted it to get over to Maria's position. It sprinted across the desert, and he was soon positioned in front of her.

"Josh?" she questioned, wanting to make sure it really was him.

"Yeah," he responded. "You okay?"

"Of course," she told him as she forced her Zoid to its feet. "I'm just fine. I'm glad you came though."

"Don't worry," he assured her with a smile. "I've got your back. I won't let them get to you." He began firing off some bullets at some approaching ZBC zoids. He cringed whenever one was badly damaged, hoping the pilots were all surviving this. It was better if he didn't know who they were. He'd have less nightmares that way.

The battle raged on, and Josh kept taking out one unit after another. Nothing was going to get past him, not this time. He had something to protect. He wasn't going to allow the girl behind him to die in this battle. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her. He swore it. Unfortunately, the fates weren't on his side today. There was one zoid amongst his current enemies that he recognized. It was the zoid of a fellow officer of his, the zoid his cousin piloted. He would know Jason's zoid anywhere. Josh quickly shut his communication links all off and then opened a private one with Jason. The image of his red haired, green eyed cousin came up.

"What are you doing here?" he asked Jason in a reprimanding hiss.

"Josh?" he questioned out of shock. "This section is your division? Damn it! If I had known this was where you were working…"

"It's alright," he said. "Just call back your unit. I don't want to hurt you, but I can't risk having my cover blown."

"I understand," Jason told his cousin. "We'll fall back." However, before he could give the signal to retreat, his Saber Fang was taken out. The battle ceased at that moment, since their leader had just been removed. Besides, the ZBC was losing anyway. They hadn't even meant to get into a battle like this.

Josh sat in his cockpit, his eyes wide and his mind racing. What was he supposed to do in this kind of situation? He couldn't blow his cover, but was he really going to sit back and watch as a member of his family was killed in front of him? Star would never forgive him. However, he didn't want to end up losing his own life after all of this. His mission was almost over. He couldn't blow it now. He was torn between either option. He couldn't make up his mind. What came first? You duty or your family? This was all so confusing. He hated this inner struggle.

"Let's go Josh," called Maria from behind him, but he didn't move. He was just watching as some of the Backdraft zoids hovered over Jason's. They were probably deciding what to do with him. The end result would be simple. They'd kill him. "Josh?" Maria questioned, but instead of heading back to the base with her, his zoid moved forward, its black paws picking up sand as it walked.

"Maria…" he told her softly as he finally made up his mind. "I'm sorry." With that said, he blocked all communication systems with his zoid and charged towards his real enemy. The few Backdraft zoids standing around Jason's turned towards Josh.

"Ah, good," said one of them. "Josh, you can help us decide what to do with him." When they didn't receive an answer, nor did the Blade Liger show any sign in stopping, they began to panic. The second Josh extended the blades, they tried to get away, but their zoids were all ripped in half. He was making sure not to kill any of them. He quickly got in front of his cousin.

"Go now!" he demanded as Jason got his zoid slowly to its feet.

"But…" he began.

"Just go! I'll hold them off! You and your men need to get out of here!"

"But what about you?" he asked as he began turning around. Josh just gave a wry smile that Jason couldn't see, a small laugh escaping his dry throat.

"It's too late for me now," he stated, watching as more Backdraft members herded towards him. "Just tell Star I'm sorry, okay?"

"Alright," said Jason as he gave the signal to retreat. He and his men began sprinting away from the Backdraft base, leaving Josh with an unbeatable amount of enemies. He was going to try though. He wouldn't go down without a fight. _Hey __Leon__…take good care of Star for me, alright?_ With that last thought, he charged head on into the opposing forces, unsure of what the outcome would be.

-----------

Josh laughed a little as he recalled his capture. He had been thrown into the prison without so much as a word from any of them. He would be interrogated soon, he was sure of it. It was then that the door to his cell opened, and he looked up into the face of a Backdraft official. The man carried a flashlight with him, and Josh had to squint when he shined it in his eyes. He could now see that there were two other men standing behind him. _Probably backup,_ Josh thought with a smirk.

"Now, tell us," began the man. "Just who are you?"

"Josh Summers," he told them with a smile. "I thought you'd at least be smart enough to remember my name." His arrogance got him a foot to his stomach, and he coughed a little as he fell over onto his side.

"Think you're smart, do you?" the man asked as he kicked Josh again. "Now tell us who you are."

"I already told you," he answered, not planning on giving them any information.

"Answer me!" the man shouted as he kicked Josh in the ribs. "Who do you work for? It's the ZBC, isn't it?!" He brought his heel down hard on Josh's side, and he was pretty sure the man had broken a rib with that move. He winced in pain, doing his best not to cry out. "I bet you're a spy, just like that woman!" He picked Josh up by the collar of his shirt and slammed him into the wall hard.

"You know," began Josh with a ghost of a smile. "I miss the old days…back when you guys were nothing but brainless idiots placing bets on battles. I guess not too much has changed though. You're all still brainless, that's for sure." He smirked before he was slammed into the wall again, even harder than before, and he was sure he heard a snap come from his shoulder. He did cry out this time as he grabbed at it. His right shoulder now hung a bit differently, as if it had been popped out of its socket. The man then dropped Josh to the floor, leaving him to nurse his injuries.

"We'll be back," he told the ZBC spy. "Until you tell us everything, you can expect a session like this each day."

"I look forward to it," he smirked arrogantly, trying to prove to them that he wasn't afraid. Truth being, he was shaking inside. He wasn't used to dealing with pain like this. He had never broken a bone before. His perfect record had just been ruined as he felt a stab of pain in his side. He sighed deeply, trying not to move around too much.

"Looks like I really did it this time," he said to himself. "Maybe if I had just been a bit more careful…"

"Josh?" questioned a soft voice at the entrance of his cell. He turned towards it, having to squint to make out the figure at the bars. Her green eyes were like two lights in the darkness. He'd recognize them anywhere.

"Maria?" he asked softly to the darkness. He didn't receive an answer. "Well, if you can hear me, then I'm sorry. I never meant to…" He inhaled sharply as he shifted a little, his side really starting to hurt him. "…To deceive you."

"Josh, is something wrong?" she asked, hearing the pain in his voice.

"Nothing," he told her. "Just a little interrogation is all. My side hurts a bit, but I'll live."

"Josh, are you…are you really a member of the ZBC? Are you really a…spy?" she asked him, her voice quivering. Josh just sighed deeply, not wanting to lie to her anymore.

"Yes," he told her. "Like I said, I didn't mean to deceive you. I just…I wanted to protect her."

"Who?" she asked him, curious. Josh just smiled as he felt his eyes grow heavy. He hadn't realized until now just how tired he was. His mind was starting to slip. He realized then that there were two people…two "her's" he wanted to protect. He could have left at anytime and gone back to the ZBC. He could have just picked up and quit, and they could have sent someone else so that he could stay with Star. Unfortunately, there had been something keeping him here…someone.

"I wanted…to protect Star…and you…"

"W-what?" Maria stammered, a small blush on her face. However, he couldn't respond. He was already fast asleep.

------

Okay, yes, a little shorter than some. I know that. However, this story is actually almost done. There aren't too many chapters left. Things are really going to heat up. The next chapter will focus more on the Blitz team and what they're going to do about Josh.

Read and Review please.

Until then, I'll be seeing ya!


	17. Confidence

Um…very sorry? Does that even begin to make up for how long it took? I do feel bad, otherwise I wouldn't be writing right now. But anyway, I always do a Thanksgiving update, so here I am. I'm saving it all for the last second, so tomorrow, I'll just post whatever I have done. The rest would get done on another day…but hopefully I can update everything tomorrow. So there…yay, right? Right? Okay, I'm not sure if I'm even making much sense. I just totally zoned out, and I'm currently starving. It's almost dinner time, and I haven't eaten much today. But that's not your concern, ne? Okay, shutting up now…

By the way, praise me! Haha, just kidding…but really, I mean, I've already written three books, one which was done in two months! (August 24th to Octorber 24th and it's 287 pages, 34 chapters…and a lot of words…but only the first thirteen are up on the net.). I'm so great! Just kidding…anyway, I'd greatly appreciate it if someone at least checked it out, like read the first chapter even…but anyway, onward!

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids, but I do own Star and Josh, both of which I'm happy to claim.

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The hanger at the ZBC was huge, spanning nearly twice as far as the one at the Blitz team's base. There were so many zoids stationed there, including the Midnight Storm, Star's own zoid. In fact, all of their zoids were there. That was probably because they had spent so much time here due to her and Leon. Star was happy that he was finally awake, and she had been so sure that her problems would all go away with his reawakening, but now something else was bothering her. Life just wasn't fair. Her only remaining family member was in trouble. Josh's cover had been blown, and now there was no telling what would happen to him. It was possible that he could already be dead, but she didn't want to think about that. She couldn't. She had to stay positive.

Star was sitting by herself, stationed on the shoulder of her zoid. Her head was down, and she was deep in thought. She had to come up with something. She had to think of a way to help Josh. She was worried about him, and for good reasons. She knew from experience. The Backdraft wasn't too tolerant of traitors. _That's an understatement._ She sighed deeply before falling into her thoughts, now deeper into her own world than before.

You shouldn't think so much Star just sighed as Storm's voice filtered into her mind.

"I know," she responded as tears began welling up in her eyes. "But he's my brother. I can't stop thinking about him. I hope he's okay."

There's no point in worrying. It won't get you anywhere. You have to decide what you're going to _do_ about it 

"What do you mean?"

Don't you plan on going after him? You're not just going to let him rot in their prison, right? 

"Of course not!"

Then come up with a plan. Figure something out. I'll help you in whatever way I can 

"Thanks," responded Star with a smile as she wiped her tears away, sniffling just a bit. She stood up and jumped down, landing perfectly on the floor. She gave Storm one last smile before running out of the room. She couldn't do this on her own. She would need some help, and she knew exactly who to turn to.

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"What now?" asked Leena curiously, hoping that one of her teammates would give her an answer. However, everyone remained quiet. They weren't exactly sure what was to come next. What could they do? This was the new and improved, not to mention more deadly, Backdraft that they were dealing with. The members wouldn't hesitate to kill any one of them. This was no light matter anymore. Things had suddenly gotten a whole lot more serious and incredibly complicated.

"You know she's not gonna take this sitting down," stated Bit. "She'll go after him alone if she has to."

"We can't let her," stated Naomi. "She'll get herself killed. The Backdraft is no longer a laughing matter. They're serious this time."

"Yeah, but we can't just abandon Josh," stated Leon, still sitting up in his hospital bed. "Besides, I really owe him."

"Well then," began Brad. "If we're gonna do something, then we should probably come up with some kind of plan."

"Yeah," agreed Leena. "It'd be pretty stupid to just charge in there blindly." Bit nearly broke out laughing at that remark. It wasn't exactly the remark itself that was amusing but the person who had said it. That was one of the last things he ever thought he'd hear from Leena, the trigger happy, hot-tempered redhead, who's theory was shoot first, ask questions later.

"Shouldn't we be discussing this with Star?" inquired Jamie. "I mean…Josh is _her_ brother."

"Yeah, but I think we should leave her alone for now," said Naomi. "She probably needs some time to think."

"Well, we can at least come up with a day," decided Bit. "How about tomorrow or the day after?"

"Sounds good," said a voice from the doorway, and all of them turned to see Star standing there, a sly smile on her face. "I think the day after tomorrow'd be better though. We'll need that time to get ready."

"So you were listening?" asked Leena.

"Of course. It's a bit ironic, really, 'cause I was just coming to ask you if you'd help me. It's nice to see that wasn't needed."

"Do you think we should tell John about this?" asked Jamie. Getting the ZBC involved could be a bit dangerous, depending on how John reacted. He could forbid such a suicidal rescue mission or he would support them. Either or seemed just as likely. If anyone had a chance at getting him to agree, it would be Star. She knew him the best, and she could probably get him to give in.

"I'll ask tomorrow," said Star, stretching her arms over her head. However, I'm just a bit tired, so I think I'll go lie down for a bit." And with that stated, she left the room, leaving the rest of her team alone with their thoughts. Tomorrow would be a rather busy day for them, full of preparing and planning, not to mention begging. This was all just so complicated. What had happened to the good old days, the ones where they could battle without the threat of the Backdraft trying to kill them? It just wasn't fair. Were they really ready for a battle like this, one that could easily cost them their lives? They'd figure out soon enough, and they'd do it the hard way. They'd charge right into battle…and pray to the gods that they'd come out alive.

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A sigh escaped Josh's lips as he realized how pathetic he probably seemed right now. Here he was, locked away in a prison cell, and for what? Because of his own carelessness. Because of two women. Since when had he gotten so soft? How had he become so confused? It didn't really matter though, because he couldn't do anything about it now. He'd just have to put up with this until someone came to help him. Then again, that was highly unlikely. Who would be able to make it this far to get him out? Star wouldn't risk it…or would she? He wasn't sure anymore. His little sister seemed a lot different now. She was more confident, headstrong, insinuative…all the things he never thought she'd be. To be perfectly honest, she was never a very good spy. Zoid battles had always interested her far more than the work of a special forces agent.

Still…even though he desperately wanted to be saved, he didn't want his little sister coming after him. He didn't want her risking her life just for his sake. It would be better if she just lived out a normal life, away from all of this. Then again, with the Backdraft after her, that wasn't possible, was it. She'd always be hunted, she'd always have to run away, and she'd always be different. Star could never be a normal person, not with a talent like hers…a talent that the Backdraft would exploit to no end. That was the last thing he wanted. He began praying that she wouldn't come.

"But I already know you will," he whispered aloud. "You're always so rash." As odd as it seemed, he began laughing. Maybe this small cell was starting to get to him. Maybe he was slowly being driven insane. He didn't care though. Insanity was better than being anxious and paranoid. He frankly didn't even care if he was interrogated again right now. He was just so bored, and now that Maria had left, he had no one to talk to. He heaved another deep sigh, sinking further against the wall.

"Maria…" he whispered.

"You called?" chimed a very kind, female voice. Josh turned towards the bars to his cell and watched in curiosity as they were opened. Maria came in, carrying something in her hands. Despite everything…despite all his lies, his current position, and his ranking as a ZBC officer…she was smiling at him.

She closed the door behind her, but made sure not to lock herself in. This left Josh in a very odd position. Right now, he could easily run away. He could escape the cell, and then what? He'd probably get gunned down in the hallway. Well, so much for that kind of idea. Instead, he just watched Maria, his eyes following her as she came up to him and knelt down. In her hands was a plate of food, or at least what he assumed was food. People in prison weren't supposed to be fed with luxury, after all. He would just have to settle for whatever this was.

"I thought you could use something to eat," she said. "It's not much, and it doesn't taste that great, but at least it's something." Josh just looked from the plate and then to her. He just didn't get it. Why was she taking such risks? Didn't she understand that he was the enemy?

"Why are you here?" he asked curiously, and she gave him a look that questioned his skepticism.

"What do you mean?" she asked in that same tone.

"I could easily take advantage of this situation and use you to escape," he explained. "So why risk coming here, knowing that I'm your enemy?" To his surprise, she smiled. She then set the plate down and took a seat next to him.

"Because you're not like that," she told him honestly, her voice lacking any uncertainty…any fear. "You're just not the hostage taking type, so I'm not afraid of you at all."

"…You should be." She just shook her head, dismissing his comment completely. Instead, she leaned against him a bit, shocking his already startled mind. He wasn't exactly sure what she was doing. They were supposed to be enemies, after all. Then again…did they have to be? So what if he was from the ZBC? In reality, they were both the same, both human, both people with dreams and desires. Sure, maybe their views were a bit different, but that didn't really mean much. It was pointless to let such differences decide their fate. They could focus on the similarities instead. _God, it'd be so easy to just get out of here right now, but…_

Josh just sighed and raised his still good arm, placing it around Maria's shoulders. _It just seems wrong…to use her like that…after I caused her so much pain already. Besides…_ A smile crossed his face. _I'm really not the hostage taking type._

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"So we're really doing this," sighed Leena as she walked with Bit down the large hallways of the ZBC base. All of them were staying there for now considering the dangers involved of remaining at their own.

"Of course," Bit responded, "though it really is kinda hard to believe." He suddenly broke into a very wide, cocky grin. "But we'll win, no problem."

"Why are you so confident?" she asked skeptically. Bit just put an arm around her shoulders.

"Because I'll be there," he stated smugly, showing his extreme overconfidence in himself. But that was Bit for you. He'd never change. "Besides…we don't have a choice."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly, his voice didn't seem so confident anymore.

"Well think about it," he began. "If we fail, we won't only lose Josh. We'll all die, and if the Backdraft decides to use Star…I can't even imagine what kind of problem that'd cause."

"I guess you're right," responded Leena, lowering her head a bit. "If Star can communicate with a Zoid, not to mention borrow its powers, then she's possibly more powerful than anyone on the planet. It'd be horrible if they found a way to use her." Bit put on a stern front and pulled Leena just a bit closer as they walked down the hallway.

"We'll all be there, so nothing'll happen," he assured her, but his own voice didn't seem half as confident as it once had. Just what had happened to them? When did this all get so complicated? In the beginning, it had seemed like nothing but a game. Let Star join their team, fight random Backdraft men…but now everything had suddenly changed. Their simple game had become a fight for their lives. There was so much more to this than they had originally thought. It was enough to put both egotistical, hotheaded pilots into a rather unconfident, worried state. Zoid battling had always just been a game, a way to make money, something fun to do…a way to prove yourself in a rather unfocused world. It had been a way to express something…but now they were fighting in a small war. This was so much more than just their lives…this was their future…the future of the ZBC…and the future of the zoid battles that they loved.

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"Leon?" called Star as she entered his medical room. The base was more or less shut down for the night. Almost everyone was already asleep. "Are you awake?" She watched as he shifted a bit and soon sat up, rubbing his head.

"I am now," he answered, and she walked in, closing the door gently behind her.

"Sorry," she apologized as she took a seat on his bed. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"What is it?" he asked. She hesitated a bit before giving an answer.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Nightmare?" She only nodded her head. "They're just dreams, Star. Nothing's gonna happen." Star just lowered her head and clenched her fists a bit.

"Do you really think we can do this?" she asked him, her voice barely even a whisper. "Can we really save Josh?"

"Of course."

"Why are you all so confident?" she half shouted. "How can you be so sure? They're different from the Backdraft you're used to! They _kill_ people! How can you all say things like 'we'll win' and 'don't worry'…I just don't get it."

"Well, would you rather hear us say that we can't?" he asked seriously, drawing her attention. "It's not a matter of confidence. They're just words. We're all scared, really. We're just saying things that everyone else needs to hear, because if we go in there convinced that it's impossible, then what's the point of even trying? You wanna save Josh, right? That should be enough to keep you going."

"Then what about all of you? What's your reason?"

"My reason?" She just nodded, awaiting his answer. "I love zoid battles. I like being under the rule of the ZBC where battling is a sport, not a life or death struggle. I'll do what I can do protect that, and I'm sure that's the reason for Bit and Leena as well. We all love zoid battles. But my real reason…I wanna save Josh. He's done a lot for me, and I need to repay him. Besides…you'd cry if he died, wouldn't you?" Star didn't say anything as she just focused on the dark room she was sitting in. She really did want to save Josh. He was all she had left, family wise. He was her only blood relative. She loved him.

Star jumped a bit when she felt Leon wrap his arms around her, pulling her against him. She couldn't exactly see him right now, but she knew exactly how close he was. She could almost sense him, but that wasn't unnatural…at least for her, anyway.

"You can stay here tonight if you want," he offered. "You really should get some sleep." Star just smiled and leaned into him a bit.

"Okay," she agreed, and he began to lean back, taking her with him. Soon enough, they were both lying comfortably on his bed. Star just moved a bit closer and closed her eyes.

"I really missed you," she told him drowsily. "I like seeing you there…when I wake up." Leon just smile and pulled her a bit closer, realizing that this could be one of the last times he'd ever be able to do this. After tomorrow they'd be heading out into battle. Hopefully Josh could hang on until then. It wouldn't be fair if he died before they even got there. They were doing this all for him after all. Besides, he couldn't die. It wouldn't be fair to Star. She needed him. For the sake of her sanity…he had to survive.

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Um…Yeah…a bit depressing. I wonder why everything I write has a rather angsty twist to it. I've noticed that in my original stories too. Bad things happen a lot…because I'm just to bit into trauma and drama, I suppose. It's so much fun! I makes for good reading…or at least that's my opinion.

And once again, happy Turkey day…if you celebrate it, that is.

Until the next time!


	18. Only a Matter of Time

Man, I feel so sick right now. It reminds me of back in 9th grade during this time of the year. That's when Zoids was first really big, and that's when the zoids section began on fanfiction. I read just about every fic there was. (good times…I really miss those days. Man, now I'm getting all depressed…maybe that's why I feel sick.) Anyway, I was up until four in the morning writing and reading fanfiction…fanfiction that's been over for years. I was rereading a ton of Bit/Leena fics, plus I've been re-watching the series (I recorded it, so I have that lovely capability.) So a heads up for that…I know the series inside and out, so please do not challenge me on my Zoids knowledge. I can quote almost every episode! (should I really be taking pride in that?) Anyway, here's a chapter for you.

Merry Christmas, and don't forget to review. I love reviews. Maybe they'll help my rather sick, depressed, tired, and nostalgic mood. (God I miss the old days…)

Well, I hope you like this chapter! Lots of lip action, if you know what I mean. ;)Yay for fluffy, happy moments! (but there is still a bit of angst…hehe..angst…shutting up now…)

Disclaimer: So don't own Zoids, but I do own a few other characters in this story, and I wish I owned Leon and Bit. They're my favorites, in case you didn't notice.

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Maria smiled to herself as she walked down the hallway of the Backdraft base. She was rather happy right now. Despite everything that was currently happening in her life, she was in a cheerful mood. She was also on her way to visit Josh. She wanted to talk to him for a while. She couldn't tell anyone that though. If the Backdraft found out, she'd be in trouble.

"Maria," called a voice from behind her. She froze in place and slowly turned around, forcing a smile onto her face.

"Yes?" she asked sweetly. Standing before her was none other than her commanding officer, the leader of this faction of the Backdraft.

"Just where are you going?" he asked curiously, his dark eyes making her feel a bit nervous. She quickly racked her mind for an excuse.

"I'm gonna go check up on my zoid," she answered. "It got pretty banged up in that battle." Something told her that he didn't believe her. It was almost like he knew exactly where and what she was up to.

"Alright," he told her. "But Maria…stay away from the prison. I know you and Josh were close, but he's our enemy. He can't be trusted."

"I-I know," she stuttered a bit nervously. He just gave her a small nod and then walked away, heading back to his office. Maria just sighed, realizing that she could finally relax. Now she could go see Josh without having to worry too much. As she made her way towards the prison, she passed two guards who were walking and conversing. Normally she wasn't interested in such pathetic conversations, but this one was about Josh.

"That spy…" began one. "I give him a week."

"Two days," said the other. "Did you see what they did to him? I doubt he'll last much longer at this rate? The interrogators sure are harsh. Just watch. They'll shoot him next time." Maria just bit her lip and began running, wanting to reach Josh faster. Those guards were wrong. Josh was strong. He'd make it. However, Maria was going to have to face the facts. Eventually the interrogator would just kill off the boy. Without help, Josh was never going to survive. He needed to get out before it was too late.

"Josh?" Maria called as she finally reached his prison cell. However, she received no answer. _Maybe he's asleep…_ However, she quickly shook that thought away and unlocked his cell, walking in. It was rather dark, and it took her eyes a moment to adjust. However, when they did, she felt her heart constrict at what she saw.

"Oh my God…" she whispered. Josh was in worse shape than before. His arm was still dislocated and a few ribs were broken, but there was so much more damage done this time. The side of his head was bleeding as if he had been smashed into the wall. A knife gash ran down his chest, and there was one along his good arm too. He was currently unconscious, slumped against the far wall of his cell.

"Josh?" asked Maria, worry filling her voice. "Hey Josh." She shook him just a bit, and he groaned, pain surging through his body.

"Maria?" he whispered, his voice sounding dazed.

"I'll be right back, okay?" she told him. "I'm gonna get some bandages." He would have nodded if he had had the strength, but he wasn't able to say or do anything. He just watched as Maria left his cell, going off to search for bandages. However, no matter what she did for him, there was no denying his fate. Sooner or later, the interrogator would kill him. It was just a matter of time.

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"We're leaving tomorrow," stated Star as she crossed her arms. Across from her sat John and Doctor Toros, both of which had been arguing with her for the last ten minutes. Star had brought up their plan, and the two adults were being a bit stubborn about this. Of course, Dr. Toros had brought up a good point at least. Leon was in no condition to go into a battle. He was still on the mend, and if they headed out tomorrow, he would come with. There was no way they could talk him out of it.

"I'm just asking you to wait two more days," began John. "Just two."

"Josh might not last that long," Star insisted. "Please John? I know we can pull this off. We'll bring Josh back, I promise. I just need your okay."

"Star…"

"Please?" she begged. "Everyone else agreed. In fact, it was their plan, not mine. Come on…" John just looked to Steve, wondering what they should say. The Blitz team belonged to Doc, so this was in part his decision to make. After all, this was a dangerous situation. It was possible that none of these warriors were going to come back alive.

"Well…" began Doc.

"Please dad?" began Leena as she walked in with Bit. "We'll be careful." Both John and Doc sighed, realizing that they just weren't going to win this argument. Their pilots were just a bit too headstrong. If they wanted to go take on a huge faction of the Backdraft, then that's exactly what they were about to do.

"Fine," sighed John, hoping that he was making the right decision. "You can go, but you'd better come back alive, and I expect to see Josh with you."

"Sure thing," responded Bit. "I'll be there, so you'll have nothing to worry about." They all just sighed as Leena grabbed Bit and dragged him out of the room. His cockiness wasn't going to help the situation any.

"Thanks," whispered Star. "I'll do my best to make it back alive."

"I know," John answered just as softly. "I wish you all luck. Make sure everyone comes back." Star just smiled before heading towards the door.

"I will," she told him. "Don't worry." And with that said, she left. She had a lot of preparations to make if they were heading out tomorrow morning.

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Maria had a box full of first aid equipment with her as she began bandaging some of Josh's wounds. Josh just remained quiet and watched her as her soft fingers brushed against his bruised skin. Didn't she understand that this was dangerous? It was dangerous for a number of different reasons, but the most severe probably hadn't even occurred to her. The members of the Backdraft would easily notice his bandages, and then they'd probably figure out it was her. Someone had probably found out already that she had fallen asleep with him in his cell the other day. If they didn't know, then they were at least probably aware that she had brought him food. Now she was healing wounds that had been caused through instructed interrogations. She was breaking the rules.

"You should leave," he managed to say, his voice a bit hoarse. "If they find you, they'll…"

"I don't care," she stated as she continued cleaning and bandaging his cuts. "I'm not gonna let you die here." Her fingers brushed over a rather tender section of skin, and he inhaled sharply. "Sorry," she said rather quickly, sounding somewhat ashamed. However, Josh wasn't sure he had inhaled out of pain. He kind of liked the way her fingers felt against his skin. She was soft, not someone you would think of to be in the Backdraft. This woman had probably never had her hands stained in blood. She was a beautiful woman. _Come on, Josh. Keep your mind OUT of the gutter. This is Maria we're talking about._ However, his mind was one thing and his body was another. He still found that he liked the way her fingers glided across his skin.

"You really should leave," he tried again. "They'll find out you did this. They'll go after you." She just ignored him and kept at her task. Josh was starting to get just a little frustrated. Didn't she understand that this was for her own good? She needed to leave. "You're lucky I can't move…or I'd be shoving you out that door myself."

"Well sorry," she began, sounding just a little irritated with him. "If you want me to leave that badly, I will." Now Josh felt guilty. He hadn't meant to hurt her. He just didn't want her to get in trouble for his sake.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I just…I don't want you getting hurt…by the Backdraft…or me."

"You'd never hurt me," she told him with a smile. However, the look in his eyes made her a bit nervous.

"I wouldn't be so sure," he stated as he began moving, "though I'd never hurt you intentionally." He cringed a bit as he stretched the wound on his chest. His still slightly good arm shot up to grab at his side as his ribs also began stinging. He had forgotten about those.

"Don't move!" Maria told him. "You'll hurt yourself. Just stay still, I was almost done." However, Josh just moved a bit more and then turned to look at her. He was sitting up now, looking down a bit into her eyes. She looked a little nervous right now.

"You should leave," he stated again. "Before I get us both in trouble."

"But I…" she began, placing her hand gently on his arm, on the area she had been mending. Josh inhaled a bit sharply.

"God…" he whispered breathlessly. "You just don't get it." He used that arm to reach towards her. He placed his hand gently on the side of her face, not wanting to startle her too badly with what he was about to do. In one fluid motion, he brought her closer to him, and his lips descended upon hers, capturing her mouth. Her whole body froze up, most likely from shock. However, Josh just kissed her, coaxing her gently to respond. Eventually she began relaxing and she shyly kissed him back. She sighed a bit, bringing out a small smirk from Josh. He just kissed her a bit harder, and she followed his lead, letting him do whatever he wanted.

After a while, both of them needed a moment to breath, so Josh pulled away first. He just moved back a little, wanting to see Maria a bit better. She was blushing. _Well, that's only natural. At least she's not too startled._

"S-sorry," he responded a bit shakily. "You can slap me if you want…" However, she just smiled and leaned into him a bit. She moved next to him, resting her head against his shoulder. He was suddenly aware again of just where they were. "You really should leave…"

"Just a little longer," she told him. "I like it like this…" Josh was starting to get a bit worried now. _If they find her like this with me…they might try using her to make me tell them about the ZBC. I can't let that happen! It wouldn't be fair! This is my problem, not hers!_

"Maria," he began, his voice a bit more demanding this time. "You _have_ to leave." She raised her head and gave him a small glare. He realized that she wasn't going to leave unless he really pushed her to. "Look, I'm fine now. I don't…n-need you here, so just go."

"But…"

"Please!" he begged, looking away. "Just go…" He heard her sigh and gather her medical equipment.

"So that's it?" she began a bit angrily. "One kiss and you're done with me?"

"It's not like that," he said rather quickly, not wanting her to get the wrong idea. "It's dangerous for you to be here."

"I know that, but I really like you, Josh!" She suddenly went mute, her cheeks covered in a soft blush. Josh couldn't fight back the small smile that pulled at his lips. However, as a shadow fell across the bars of his cell, his smile quickly disappeared.

"So…" began a deep voice, sending a chill down both their spines. Maria slowly turned around, her eyes meeting the stone cold ones of her commanding officer. There was a small smirk on his face. "This is where you've been…"

(Note, I could leave it here…but for the first time in a long time, I think I won't leave you with a cliffhanger. (especially since who knows when I'll update next. It just wouldn't be fair)

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Currently at the ZBC's hospital vicinity, Bit was lying on his back on his bed. They had all been given rooms as they stayed in the area. After all, their base was pretty far away. It would have taken way too long to go back and forth each day while Leon was in the hospital. Besides, he wouldn't have wanted to leave, and he knew Leena and Star would have stayed at the hospital whether or not they had been given a room. Leon was important to the two of them.

There was a knock at his door, which was somewhat surprising considering the fact that it was already eleven at night. He already knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight, so he might as well have some company.

"The door's open," he called, waiting to see who had decided to pay him a visit. He wasn't all that surprised to see Leena standing there in his open doorway. "Hey," he greeted with a smile. "Can't sleep?"

"Yeah," she said softly, obviously not wanting to wake the people who had been able to get some shuteye. After all, they all needed their rest for the battle tomorrow. She just stood there and watched as Bit sat up, giving her his signature grin.

"Well don't just stand there," he told her. "Come in." Leena just smiled and walked over, remembering to close the door first. She went over and sat next to Bit, a sigh escaping her lips.

"I really hope we can pull this off," she told him. "This means a lot to Star."

"We'll all do fine," stated Bit confidently. "We'll just charge in there and tear the whole base apart!"

"Um…Bit?" began Leena. "Star wants this to be a bit more covert."

"Covert?!" he nearly exclaimed. That was the opposite of his fighting style. He didn't want to remain inconspicuous. Why couldn't they just charge into battle like they usually did?

"Well yeah," she answered, giving him a look that questions his skepticism. "Our goal isn't to destroy the Backdraft. We're just saving Josh."

"But it's just…so unlike us," Bit stated.

"I know," she agreed. "I'm not too big on this idea either, but this is Star's mission. We're just going along with it. Besides…we can't risk hurting Josh in the process. After all, the whole point is to get him out of the building…_alive_." Bit just sighed deeply.

"This is gonna be harder than I thought…" Leena just smirked and leaned in a little, placing her head on Bit's shoulder.

"We should get some sleep," she stated, and Bit just nodded in return. They really did need to rest up for the battle. This brought Leena back to the reason as to why she had come here in the first place.

"Hey Bit?" she began softly.

"Yeah?"

"Can I stay with you tonight?" she asked a bit meekly, which was highly unlike her. She was usually so straightforward and confident. She seemed a little unsure right now. Bit just smiled and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Of course," he stated. He turned a bit and was soon facing her, a smirk on his face. "But I want a goodnight kiss first." Leena just returned his smile. Bit began to bend down, his mouth descending upon hers. He soon felt her soft lips against his, and he started kissing her, wrapping his arms around her to keep her close. They slowly began leaning back onto Bit's bed, still wrapped up in each other's arms. To their dismay, they had to break their kiss, both in desperate need of air. Leena just smiled and snuggled up against Bit, resting her head against his chest. Her eyes gently closed as she felt exhaustion pulling at her mind.

"Goodnight Bit," she whispered. He just leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"G'night," he responded, and in a whisper, added "I love you."

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Yay! Lots of romantic moments. I hope you liked this, though I was about fifteen minutes too late for this to be done on the 25th (at least according to my time). Oh well, this is still a nice Christmas present, right? RIGHT?! Sorry, just a little hyped up right now. I'm not feeling quite as sick anymore…maybe because I just spent three hours watching the second Inuyasha movie (bought it on Wednesday at Target! Even though I've had it for over a year now on my laptop…the dubbed version isn't bad at all! Curse those who say it is! Richard Cox is an amazing English voice actor!). The special features section put me in a happy mood…hehe…plushy action…yeah, scenes from Inuyasha were acted out with plushy characters. I nearly choked I was laughing so hard.

Well, enough about my insanity. I hope you enjoyed this, and so merry Christmas, happy holidays! I will update sooner next time!

Remember to review (cause that'd be a nice Christmas present…)

Until the next time, bye!


	19. PostMission

Happy fourth of July! Yeah, I know it's been…seven months and all, am I'm sorry for that. I got pretty caught up writing my newest original story, and I received some good advice recently about becoming published. Books don't sell as well as they used to, but there's a definite increase in manga sales. I'm gonna try to find someone who'll draw me one of my stories in manga style. That or I'll try to learn how to draw (I literally can't draw worth crap though…) I think I'll try really hard to do that, since that's how I originally saw all of my stories. I wanted them to be anime :)

Okay, anyway, I forgot if I mentioned how many more chapters there were or not, so whatever number I said…forget it, cause I don't know if that'll be the right one or not.

(…) indicate a zoid speaking, since I can't use the carrots anymore… :(

I'm sorry if there are any grammar or spelling mistakes. I didn't check this before posting :P Oh well…and it may be a little...um...short of a chapter.

Here you go! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Zoids.

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Josh tried to get up, to move from his spot in the corner of his prison cell, but it was impossible. His body had suffered far too much. It was too broken, harboring far too many injuries. When he twisted a little too far, his hand shot up to cover his side, his broken ribs once again stabbing at him. He couldn't take the pain. He was helpless to watch as the door to his cell was open and the leader of this Backdraft faction stepped in. He hadn't been trying to move to escape though. His enemy was moving towards Maria, and before he could even call out to her, to tell her to run, the taller man reached out and grabbed her, locking his arm around her upper shoulders, close to her throat.

Maria began to struggle, to try and squirm out of his grasp, but it was just no use. He was far stronger than she was, and every attempt she made to try and hit him or kick back at him, he'd place more pressure against her throat, rendering her helpless. There was nothing they could do to get out of this situation, and that man knew it. The confident smirk on his face was really starting to irritate Josh.

"Kain," he called, drawing the man's attention. "Let her go."

"You're in no position to make demands," Kain stated, his smirk still intact. He was truly enjoying this. "Besides, I specifically told her not to visit you, and she disobeyed me. She'll have to be punished."

"Damn you." He tried yet again to get up, this time working past the first signs of pain. However, his wounds soon overwhelmed him, and he fell to the cold floor in pain. He could feel the darkness pulling at his eyes, begging him to rest. He raised them to Kain, an angry scowl on his face, one that threatened the man's life. The commander only laughed though, taking pleasure in the hatred he had brought about.

"Do you hate me, Josh?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "Good. Despise me for all I care. You're never leaving here alive anyway, so I could care less. I will keep you alive long enough though…for that sister of yours to attempt a rescue."

"What?" he asked, his anger fading, replaced by shock. Was it true? Was Star trying to save him? _That idiot.__ If she comes, they'll just use her. She should just leave me here. Why won't she just let me die?_

"Pathetic," Kain stated. "You're no fun. However, the next time we meet, you will tell us what we want to know. If you don't, all of the pain you would usually feel…will be directed to this incompetent little girl."

By now Maria had tears running down her cheeks. She had given up struggling, realizing that it wasn't getting her anywhere. Nothing she tried was going to loosen his grasp. She was nothing compared to him. He was far swifter, far stronger. He wasn't their leader for nothing, and despite their longtime companionship, he didn't seem to care at all about her life. He would probably kill her himself soon anyway. She was sure of it. She had broken the rules. She had aided the enemy.

"I'll be taking my leave now," he said as he turned towards the door. "I'll give you some time to think. A spy like you should have known better than to get attached. If only you hadn't been so emotional…you probably wouldn't have gotten caught. The ZBC should have known better than to send out children for such an important job."

He closed the door behind him, leaving Josh alone in his cell. The looming darkness behind his eyes was still there, begging his weary mind and body to take a break. He was exhausted, both physically and mentally, and Kain's visit had just made it all so much worse. What was he supposed to do now? He didn't have any more options left. Everything was truly falling apart. They had come so far, and now thanks to him the Backdraft was going to get exactly what they wanted. _If only I had been stronger… Star…don't come. Please…just stay away._ Before he could even move another inch, his eyes closed and he fell into unconsciousness, praying against all odds that his sister didn't come for him. Her presence would only cause more problems. She was the Backdraft's target, after all.

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The members of the Blitz team all stood in the huge hanger at the ZBC headquarters. They were all waiting around, watching as the last finishing touches were put on all of their zoids. The ZBC had restocked their ammo and had made sure that everything was in perfect working order. After all, there was no room for mistakes. Their operation had to be carried out perfectly. Their goal was to get Josh out _alive_. That was going to be the hardest part. Only Star knew her way around the base, so they were relying solely on her.

"Hey Leon," called Bit, drawing Leon's attention. "You sure you're up to this? You were just released from the hospital…"

"I'll be fine," he assured his friend. Hopefully that was true. The wound had more or less completely closed up. As long as they didn't get into a huge battle, nothing bad would happen. At least that's what he was hoping. All of them were hoping to have an easy time. Fighting the Backdraft now that they were under new rule was far from fun. They missed the old Backdraft, the one that was full of fools more so than combat veterans. So much had changed. Now the Backdraft was full of murders. They didn't want to take over the ZBC, they wanted to completely obliterate it. They wanted every last official dead.

"I'm back!"

They all turned and watched as Star came running up to them. On her back was a backpack of sorts. It seemed pretty full. Of what, they didn't know.

"What's in the bag?" asked Leena.

"Just some stuff we'll need when we infiltrate the base. Have to be prepared for everything." She had such a bright smile on her face, as if this was nothing to her. She had been on plenty of missions, but that was no reason to seem so calm. Her brother's life was on the line. They knew she was aware of that, but nothing about her stated it. "Shall we go? The base is pretty far from here."

"Alright," Bit said as he turned towards the Liger Zero. "Let's get going. The sooner it's over, the better."

"Agreed." _The sooner it's over, the sooner I'll get to see Josh. Please be alright, brother. I'm coming._

They all got into their zoids, mobilizing them quickly. With Star in the lead, they all took off, heading out across the dusty desert of Zi. They had a lot of ground to cover, so they had to get as far as they could as quickly as they could. This little mission had to start and end quickly, because with the way the Backdraft treated their traitors, Josh was in a lot of trouble. If they didn't hurry, he'd probably die. They couldn't allow something like that to happen. Star would be devastated. He was the only family she had left.

(This is it, Star) storm said to her as she sat quietly at the console.

"I know."

(How are you feeling?)

"…I'm scared. It's been a long time since I've been there. So much could go wrong. What if they're expecting us? What if we're caught before we even get in? What are we supposed to do?"

(Don't worry about it. Whatever happens happens.)

"I guess…" She glanced down at the locket that hung around her neck, and her eyes began to water. She was so scared right now, so worried about her brother. It was making her sick. She had to save him, no matter what it took. However, she was well aware of what would happen if she was caught. The Backdraft would exploit her power, use it for their own benefit. They would destroy everything she had worked for, the very organization that had raised her. They'd take everything away that was important to her. She couldn't allow that to happen. It would put the lives of her friends in danger.

The entire trip was silent. None of them spoke as they kept their minds focused on the task at hand. After half a day of traveling, they reached it. Before them was the Backdraft's base, the one that Josh was at. This was really it. Their mission was about to begin.

"Remember," began Star. "We're not here to take out the base. We're just trying to get Josh out."

"Um, Star?" began Jamie, a pair of binoculars in front of his eyes. "You might wanna see this."

On her screen, Star brought up a closer image of the base. She could see a slit opening near the small observation tower they had. _That tower wasn't there back when I worked here._ She zoomed in closer, and what came from the slit wasn't at all what she had been expecting. It was a long range gun, and she watched as it trained its sights right on her zoid. _Oh hell no. You've gotta be kidding me!_ The gun fired, but she had already made the motion to move. _Damn! The mission just started and now it's already ruined!_

"They know we're here!" she shouted to them. "We've gotta get out of here."

"But…" began Bit. He wasn't exactly protesting to the suggestion. Instead he was motioning towards the hanger doors of the base. Zoids were pouring out from it.

"Looks like they were expecting us," Brad stated, readying the Shadow Fox for combat. Everyone else did the same, preparing to attack. There was no other way. If they didn't fight now, they would just be hounded down. They couldn't escape all of those zoids, especially since there were a few Lightning Saixs with them. This was really it this time. If they couldn't get through this, there was no way they'd be able to save Josh.

"Is everyone ready?" asked Bit. All of them prepared for a charge.

Star sat there at her controls, gripping them tightly. She had to stay focused. It was now or never. It looked like rescuing Josh was going to be impossible unless they took out this Backdraft faction too. It was like killing two birds with one stone. _I don't care how many I have to take out. I know we can do this. We'll all make it, and no matter what…I **will** see my brother again._

"Let's go!" And without a single moment of hesitation, they were off…ready to face their enemy.

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Ah! A short chapter! I'm sorry about that. I just wanted to get something out, and I'm running out of time for my new years update…so I just made a short one. The next chapter'll be really long though. It'll be their entire mission. I promise I'll get it done before the end of the summer. I should be able to manage that at least. Once I'm done with my original story, it'll be easier to update fanfiction.

Okay, well, I'll see ya later!


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